Like most politicians, Congressman Horsford thinks that money is the solution to any problem. He came to work yesterday to talk about what we can do to increase student success and talked mostly about money for education. I realized as he spoke that money is exactly the problem and that more funding is a red herring, and I even called him on that. However, politicians use money because it’s easy to measure, easy to move, and easy for folks at sidewalk level to visualize, and so he can seem to be doing something whether or not it’s useful work. One reason that students in Nevada aren’t graduating is because of the money. What are they going to do when they graduate in a town that doesn’t require or reward folks for a college education?
Congressman Horsford surprised me initially by being early (about 20 minutes) and then by being available. He surprised me again by stepping outside and not returning until 20 minutes after the hour; his tardiness I viewed as a sign of disrespect, but I don’t know if anyone else noticed it. As he fed us the typical talking points, the congressman acted completely in character from the Democrat playbook telling the people what they wanted to hear without providing any useful information. Like his mentor this protégé redistributed the blame (people on the other side have been obstructing…), attempted to create consensus (when this is something a majority of Americans support [did he ask a majority of Americans what they support?], used charged language (red states make sure THEY get enough money), and sounded like a pirate (I’ll make sure Nevada gets money) without regard for whether it’s something true, legal, ethical or moral. All the while, the clapping seals applauded in cadence. Most of the questions were selfish about making sure WE get our pay restored and WE have enough, without regard whatsoever for what WE will be required to sacrifice or what responsibility belongs to us. He made it sound like the people who don’t agree lock stock and barrel with him don’t like the people in that room. Horsford played his parliamentary foist on a somnambulant audience, and they ate it up, shaking their heads and clapping while he fed them unsubstantiated phrases and outright lies. I am not sure whether he took credit for things he didn’t do or opposed, but he certainly didn’t take any blame.
I felt very alone in the room and wondered if it was a mistake. Before I went, I considered several times not going at all, but I knew that if I didn’t go it was likely nobody would throw him any tough questions. He seemed surprised by my inquiry, as if he were a boy back on his home stomping grounds not expecting to be challenged. My nerves were on edge, first because I was unsure if I was right in what I intended to mention, so I went to fact check before returning. Secondly, I was nervous because there were initially only two rows of chairs, and so I was closer to him than I wanted to be in a small gathering where I was sure to be easily noticed. As he continued to spoon feed hogwash, I felt the energy rise in my chest, and so at length I decided to proceed. I stood, and although I had practiced verbally and on paper what I might say, words came out of my mouth that I can no longer recall. He asked me to repeat it, and I did so, verbatim, not having planned the actual phrases I used. They were the right ones. I made it clear that I know he is a hypocrite without outing him to the assemblage.
Immediately after it ended, I left. I was anxious. I wasn’t sure I had done the right thing for me. I knew that I had done the right thing for my country, for truth, and for the students. I am a crusader. This is what we do.
There was a lot of talk about money, which I tried to point out is a red herring. The real problem as I see it is that we have the wrong heroes, the wrong definition of success, and the wrong front men in this campaign, and so all of his talk is irrelevant. Students all too often choose as their heroes people who are successful in spite of college rather than because of it, people who often use college as an application to professional sports and then never matriculate (I don’t know if Horsford knew that word when I used it). Particularly in this town, they are not motivated to finish college because they can earn twice what I do as a professor dealing blackjack in a casino. Finally, it’s a paradox to have people who never finished college talk about how important college is for success in life. Of course, Horsford touched on all of these, but I didn’t hear any concrete ideas, answers, or proposals. Instead, he diverted attention away from the problem as if that solves it and told me that supply creates its own demand. If we train students, the jobs will come. I don’t see people lining up to buy “President Romney” quesquilia or Tickle Me Elmo dolls. I see them buying ammo and taking their cars to mechanics, but those jobs aren’t sexy, so people don’t want them. So Horsford proposes more money.
This is what they do- they lie about money. They talk of meat cleavers and harmful cuts in a time when the government has never been so large, never employed so many people, never borrowed so much, as they do now, and when the number they propose to cut is statistically insignificant compared to the trillions they will spend. Most of the people in that room with me probably just assume that what a Democrat says is true without checking at all. They just assume that a Democrat is qualified without checking his resume. What experience does Horsford have to serve on the Homeland Security Committee? Zero. They tell us they can’t cut anything but that the rich can afford to pay for more while the rich, including people who work for Obama, cheat on their taxes. Obama likes to compare himself to the fictional “Dave”, but he never invites Murray in to cut the budget. It is assumed that there is no bloat in his administration; only the GOP has bloat.
Horsford, like so many people, appears to have repeated the lies so much that he actually believes that they are true. He can’t explain any of it. He is a true believer. He worships government, and since he is now part of that government, he probably views himself as a demigod or at least a prophet. Consequently, what we have comes from him, and so he will shower us with money and call out as did Jack Nicholsen as the Joker, where is your answer, because I have free money for you! There is no such thing as a free lunch unless the government is giving it to you, and then it’s taken from some distal and ephemeral villain known as “the rich”. Democrats speak in foregone conclusions, that just because a thing can or may occur that it necessarily will or must. Who knows what will happen? What I know is that continuing to do what we have done will get us the same results as in the past.
The original premise for Horsford’s visit was to discuss how we can make particular subsets of the student body successful in college. In answer to my inquiry, he provided few actionable items with measurable metrics, ostensibly so that he cannot be tied down to performance and can blame the other party when nothing changes. You see, if you have a plan, people can measure you on your record. He wants to be measured by weaknesses in the record of his opponent. I have previously pointed out that drawing attention to the problems in other people does nothing to fix you own (typo intentional). I wanted to know what he intended to do, but this was a public appearance so he could politic and get his back patted by fawning acolytes who already agree with him. That’s probably why he seemed shaken by my question. He came to be validated, not questioned, to be applauded, not held to account, to appear busy rather than to do useful work. Clearly he has no idea that useful work is one of the pillars of the universe.
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