Jean Schmidt: No to Bedbugs, Yes to Unemployment
Last week Congress finally began to take action against illegal Chinese trade policies that have devastated the American manufacturing base. For well over a decade, the Chinese government has been blatantly subsidizing the costs of Chinese manufacturing to create an unfair and artificial competitive advantage.
House Resolution 2378 is a bill that gives Washington the ability to add a tariff to Chinese imports as necessary. In reality, this will be a huge negotiating tool to get China to change its destructive behavior. In a rare display of bi-partisanship, the bill passed overwhelmingly, 348-79. Conservatives and liberals typically only come together on this magnitude to express a bi-partisan love for puppies, babies and apple pie.
So why would Congresswoman Jean Schmidt break rank with a majority of Republicans (99) to vote against a measure that would save American jobs? Why would Congresswoman Schmidt vote to protect large corporations that outsource jobs at the expense of her own constituents? The only answer I can think of: because they fund her campaigns. Though, again, I guess I can't blame her. With 100% of my donations coming from individual people, when I'm elected I will probably blindly help real people.
I've gone on the record with my belief that China's illegal and unfair trade practices have the direct intention of hollowing out our manufacturing base and our record unemployment. When it came time to choose between standing up for the millions of unemployed and the future stability of the American economy or the special-interests that fund her campaigns, Congresswoman Schmidt clearly chose the latter.
A few days later, Congresswoman Schmidt issued a press release that she was ready to fight the war. The war against bed bugs. In her release she proclaims "Ohio is at the epicenter of a growing national bedbug problem." Silly me, I've said that I believe Ohio is the epicenter of the growing national problem of unemployment, and anger over skyrocketing debt and special interest ownership of DC. On all three of these fronts, I've presented solutions and committed to introducing legislation in my first term.
I say this a bit tongue-in-cheek, of course. Bedbugs are a real nuisance and a growing problem. However, the absolute insanity of a member of Congress remaining completely silent on one of the most critical causes of unemployment and instead focusing on bedbugs is staggering.
So what's my takeaway from all this?
You can't accuse Congresswoman Schmidt of not standing up to bedbugs.
Standing up for American jobs? Apparently, not so much.