LETTER: Wake up to influence of powerful lobbyist

Talk about it

To the Editor:

Did you watch “60 Minutes” regarding Grover Norquist on Nov. 20? He’s called the most powerful Republican in Washington, D.C.

He’s not a senator or a representative, but he controls the Republican lawmakers with an iron hand. He lobbies for the Koch brothers, corporations and other super-rich backers and gets lawmakers to sign his pledge to not raise taxes. Why would they sign such a pledge? So that Norquist will see that they get re-elected.

On “60 Minutes” he was asked what happens if they break the pledge. He brazenly stated that they would not be re-elected, and that they would be defeated in the primary by someone Norquist would back. The winner would become his next puppet.

So, who are these Republican lawmakers working for? You, the people who voted for them? No. They are voting the way they are told to vote by Norquist so they can keep their posh jobs.

When President Obama introduced his jobs bill he included a provision to pay for it. People making over $1 million would pay a 5 percent surtax on whatever they made over $1 million. This bill was favored by 62 percent of the American people, but every Republican voted no.

All of the aspiring Republican candidates except John Huntsman have signed the pledge. Norquist stated that if they don’t sign the pledge, they won’t be the candidate.

Sen. John Thune and Rep. Kristi Noem have both signed Norquist’s pledge. The pledge form looks as though the signer is making a pledge to his constituents. That is very misleading, since few constituents even know about the pledge. Former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson described the pledge, “No taxes, under any situation, even if your country goes to heck.”

Wake up, America.

Tags: grover norquist, opinion, letters