It probably comes as no big shocker to anyone with half a brain that the Republican Party in this country has some pretty skewed ways of "contributing" to the betterment of society. It has become painfully obvious to even the most conservative Democrat that "business as usual" is all that matters to these people and at this point it's really getting out of hand. Let's examine a few key points to back up that statement.

I recently watched as Republican Joe Barton (R - Texas) apologized to Tony Hayward (BP CEO) during the congressional hearings. He tried to use his time at the podium to call out the current administration, saying that the $20 billion allotment set aside for companies and people affected by one of the largest natural disasters of our time was nothing more than a government "shakedown". In fact, let me not try and paraphrase what he said. Here's the exact wording Mr. Barton used;

"I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown. In this case a $20 billion shakedown. With the Attorney General of the United States who is legitimately conducting a criminal investigation, and has every right to do so to protect the interest of the American people, participating in what amounts to a $20 billion slush fund, that's unprecedented in our nation's history, that's got no legal standing, and which I think sets a terrible precedent for the future. If I called you into my office and I had the sub-committee chairman Mr. Stupak with me who was legitimately conducting an oversight investigation on the company and said "If you put so many millions of dollars in a project in my congressional district", I could go to jail and should go to jail. Now there is no question that British Petroleum owns this lease, that British Petroleum, I'm sorry BP, it's not British Petroleum anymore, that BP made decisions that objective people think compromised safety. There is no question that BP is liable for the damages. But we have a due process system where we go through hearings, in some cases court cases, litigation, and determine what those damages are, and when those damages should be paid. So, I'm only speaking for myself, I'm not speaking for anybody else, but I apologize. I do not want to live in a country where anytime a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that, is again in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize."

OK, so you have read that and are now thinking to yourself, wait a minute, all he is really saying here is that he wants the due process system to run its course as per normal operating procedure in this country. He wasn't apologizing to BP for anything more than that so what's the big deal? Well, here are a few tidbits to explain why this is such a big deal.

Federal Election Commission records show that during the current 2009-10 campaign cycle, the oil and gas industry has been the second-biggest contributor to Barton, at $100,470, behind only the electric utility industry ($162,800). FEC records show that BP has given Barton an average of $1,350 a year since 1990. Public Campaign, which calls itself a nonpartisan advocate for reducing campaign costs, said its analysis shows that he has received $27,000 in contributions from BP since taking office in 1985.

So, Mr. Barton, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who has accepted money time and again from BP was the one who just wants due process to run its course? Right, and I'm Mayor McStupid of Idiot Land. This is plain and simple a failed attempt to make the White House look bad while trying desperately to show BP as some sort of victim in all of this. Thankfully he did fail and was reprimanded by top members of the Republican party to the point that he was forced to apologize for making those statements later that day in the same hearing.

What I think is important for all of us to realize is that what the White House did in this situation was nothing short of heroic. Instead of 10-15 years of court battles, eating away at the dollars people would receive, our President moved all of that aside and made sure that these people would be made whole. How that ends up being administered is yet to be seen but it's a great start in a very ugly situation. This is not a slush fund for some campaign. These are people's lives, homes, welfare, and lets not forget the environment and the poor unsuspecting and helpless wildlife. This is a monumental disaster that, as the facts keep emerging, could have been avoided should BP not have tried to save a buck instead of concentrating on safety. Beyond all of that lets not forget that 11 people lost their lives. Honestly, I think $20 billion, although a lot of money, is barely scratching the surface of what BP should be paying. To call it a shakedown and make a public apology to BP's CEO while chastising our President and the White House staff is abhorrent.

Alright, enough free press for Mr. Barton. Let's talk about the Tea Party.

A few years ago I took a hard look at the candidates and thought Ron Paul had some pretty great ideas. That is until I looked a bit further under the hood. Now I certainly didn't agree with his stance on abortion (he is pro-life) nor his stance on gun control (he doesn't want any) but his thoughts on abolishing the IRS which I do believe to be an evil organization, moving to a flat tax, and stopping illegal and unjustified war efforts were all great things. Admittedly I do not know Ron Paul personally, nor have I ever spoken with him directly. However, the movement that he created, now known as the Tea Party has taken these somewhat interesting ideas to an entirely different and pretty scary level.

I think by now we've all heard of the "Birthers" and the redneck morons who want to hoard assault rifles for their "protection" but it goes even further than that. Sharron Angle, who is running against Harry Reid, and is a member of the Tea Party, has been quoted numerous times saying "if we can't win at the ballot we are going to look at second amendment remedies". She has also said "the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out". The first time I saw that reporting I said to myself, come on, all she's saying is we need to remove Harry Reid from office, however, the more I looked into the rest of her wording it became increasingly apparent that she is trying to start a revolution (read: another civil war) in this country and is making statements encouraging these lunatics to pick up their weapons and do whatever they feel is necessary to achieve their goals.

I don't want to make this rant about the Tea Party so let me stay on topic with regards to the Republicans. It is the Republicans who saw this movement forming and since they were in such a minority due to the last elections, they silently (and then not so silently) starting supporting the Tea Party in the hopes that they could garner the votes they needed in this upcoming election. The problem is, they are now seeing who these people really are.

Bad decisions, bad politics, business as usual, no care about the American people, less regulations even in the face of tragedy (both environmental and financial), the list goes on and on. This is the new Republican party. I mean seriously, filibustering every single vote? Voting against the White House's agenda no matter if they contributed or not to the end result? No intelligent person could respect these people. I encourage everyone to take a look at the facts behind every issue and decide for yourselves. You may just find that what you thought you knew wasn't even half the real story.

I used to be an independent and to some extent I still am, however it's becoming impossible to vote for anyone who is not a staunch Democrat when you see what's really going on in Washington. I'm all for a difference of opinion and finding some middle ground, but there's no reason to even attempt that stance if you are just going to be thrown down at every turn. President Obama has tried time and again to work with the Republicans and hear their ideas. He has even gone so far as to water down massive legislation (something I strongly oppose) in order to have both sides working together to move this country forward. There is no pleasing the Republicans and at this point I don't believe there's any sense in trying. Let's just hope that we can retain the Democratic majority this fall. It's unlikely due to how the political spectrum circulates but if we can get smart people out to the ballots it is possible, especially with the "wonderful candidates" the Republicans are putting up.

Blogger Joshua Aaron is the guitarist/vocalist for STEALING HEATHER. Visit them online at http://www.stealingheather.com