The classical liberal hypocrite
By Charles A. Morse
web
posted July 24, 2000
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, on July 17, ruled against a disgraceful and bullying appeal by Ted Kennedy to get his Republican opponent for the US Senate, African-American conservative Jack E. Robinson, removed from the ballot on a technicality. Unfortunately the Massachusetts voter, barring a miracle, will re-elect this champion of socialism. This episode is the most recent in a decades long record of high-handed behavior and un-democratic policy.
History will undoubtedly repeat itself as the nation will be continually subjected to the bizarre and sickening spectacle of the trust-fund fattened Mass. millionaire Senator bellowing on the floor of Congress for the raising of taxes on "the rich." Kennedy and many of his limousine liberal friends, will not likely pay the taxes he champions. His inherited wealth is nicely salted away in tax exempt trusts. Those taxes will be extracted from the hides of the rest of us working stiffs.
Like so many other rich leftists, Kennedy often treats the law as something that applies to others not himself. Laws and taxes, in Kennedy's galaxy, exist as weapons against enemies or as a means of obtaining power. Increasingly concentrated power will, allegedly, be used to help the disadvantaged. The result is more power and our taxpayer money in the hands of an ever widening number of bureaucrats. Whatever crumbs not consumed by the bloated bureaucracy will be passed on to the "disadvantaged" who will be expected to repay the favor with their votes.
The predominant themes of Kennedy's congressional career, which spans five decades, are votes to increase taxes, foreign aid, and federal power in all areas except the military. Examples would be an Oct. 6, 1978 (rollcall #451) vote against a one third income tax cut which he typically referred to, in the class conflict, big lie parlance, as giving breaks to the rich. That same month Kennedy voted to hand over $9.1 billion of the workingman's dollar to foreign aid (rollcall #490) and against cuts in the discredited CETA program (rollcall #516) which was a notorious funnel of tax largess to left-wing causes.
On March 26, 1979 (rollcall #20) he voted in favor of a Congressional permit which would allow unlimited deficit spending. On August 3, 1981 (Cong. Quarterly, 8/18/81 #248 p1455) he voted against indexing tax rates to inflation…and against a 25 per cent tax cut. Deficit spending would be based on estimated future "earnings" of the taxpayer whose money would apply to the already spent deficit. Congress would have increased power to play football with the value of the dollar.
Kennedy's record reflects decades of appeasement toward Communism. He was an early and vocal supporter of admission of Red China to the UN. He was a consistent supporter of unilateral disarmament and nuclear freeze. He advocated negotiation with the Vietcong which he claimed "could lead to a confederation of North and South Vietnam under a truly neutral government." He supported the "rules of engagement" policy which protected North Vietnam from military action while American and South Vietnamese casualties were mounting. Finally, he voted to stop President Ford's aid package to South Vietnam in the year before it was crushed by the Communist North.(New Republic 9/10/70 p14)
Kennedy has been an ardent apologist for the bloody Cuban regime. In 1964 he said in Congress "There has been an almost complete termination of the utilization of Cuba for training Communist agents to go out to other countries in Latin America. There also has been a severe decline in Cuba as a base for sending out Communist propaganda." On October 9, 1979 (rollcall #345) he voted down an amendment to a foreign aid bill that would have prevented any aid to Cuba.
With regard to our Nicaraguan ally, he co-sponsored legislation to cut off military aid, demanded a recall of our ambassador, cut off credits, advocated the blocking of loans from other countries, and called for sanctions. As soon as the Communist Sandinistas predictably took over, he called for American support of "This government which is supported by all the democratic forces in Nicaragua." (Commentary 12/79)
Kennedy's record on crime legislation seems to fit the pattern. His revisions of the criminal code has reduced the maximum penalty for rape and reduced penalties for drug pushers. Crimes involving pornography are now more difficult to prosecute including the reduction in the second offense penalty for child pornography. Kennedy played a major role in the revamping of our immigration policies in the 1960's.
Other liberal causes Kennedy has championed include federal funding of abortion and socialized healthcare, forced bussing in Boston, and the Kennedy-Kassebaum education bill which include "Outcome Based Education" and "School to Work." He is presently leading the fight for the Stalinist "Hate Crime" legislation. In essence, Ted Kennedy has done more for socialism than any public figure in the last thirty years.
Kennedy dislikes America. His advocacy of high taxes is a display of contempt for American free-market capitalism and property rights. His welfare state advocacy is a cynical attempt to institutionalize poverty and destroy the family. His liberal approach to crime and drugs has contributed to more of both. His support for Communism combined with the giveaway of taxpayer monies to mainly socialist dictators further erodes freedom at home and abroad. His legislation to increase the power of the federal government is in disregard of the Constitution.
Kennedy, acting through surrogates, will attack his Republican opponent,
Jack E. Robinson, on personal issues. He will accuse Robinson of many
things that have been part and parcel of his own history including drunk
driving, which in Kennedy's case led to the death of Mary Jo Kopechnie
at Chappaquidick, sexual harassment, cheating, and who knows what else.
Kennedy will try to avoid debate on public policy issues where he knows
he would lose. 
Chuck Morse is a syndicated talk show host on the American Freedom Network And a contributing writer to Enter Stage Right and Etherzone.