Compassion had short run

Sunday I witnessed the most callous display of hubris and arrogance ever seen. I saw the House majority leader, Rep Eric Cantor, R-Va., throw the citizens of Joplin, Mo., under the bus. He told a nationwide television audience that all federal monies used to rebuild Joplin – or any other area that desperately needs aid – must be offset by reductions in other programs so as not to increase the deficit. So much for the GOP’s avowed philosophy of compassionate conservatism.

Rep. Cantor has shown himself to be completely in the pocket of the wealthiest Americans. He is among the leaders in the assault on our social safety net and the evisceration of rules and regulations protecting the consumer. It is no secret that the GOP’s assault on governmental oversight led to the financial meltdown we recently experienced.

What has remained a secret is the GOP’s assault on the education system. Thomas Jefferson – often quoted by the right – has one of his greatest tenets ignored. Jefferson wrote that an educated electorate is necessary for the maintenance of a democracy. They have been working to eliminate the educated voter. From the outcome of the 2010 election they’ve been successful.

Gil Beyer

Sandpoint