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Jan. 22, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: In his Jan. 19 newsletter, Rep. Ben Cline made several statements that, were he Pinocchio, would qualify him for rhinoplasty.
First, Cline boasted that House Republicans prevented the employment of 87,000 IRS agents who would persecute folks making less than $200,000 a year. Not true. Some IRS funds were slated to replace retiring agents. Some were for desperately needed software upgrades. No one making less than $400,000 a year would be subject to additional IRS scrutiny. Besides that, only tax cheaters worry.
Second, Cline boasted that his gang ended the sale of U.S. crude oil to China. Fact: in December 2015, a Republican House and Republican Senate lifted a 40-year ban on U.S. crude oil exports, largely because U.S. oil companies were producing more crude oil than America needed and thus shrank corporate profits (https://perma.cc/ N7JX-VJQ5). One wonders about Cline’s silence about increased crude oil exports between 2016 and 2019 when the U.S. exported 445,488 thousand barrels to China. Cline’s posturing indignation does not change the fact that legalization foreign sales was a Republican decision. Nor does it change the fact that the Biden administration’s policy precipitated a fall in the cost of gasoline at the pump.
Cline’s third nose extender is his boast that the so-called “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” protects babies “born alive, even after an attempted abortion.” Note, please: there is no such thing as “babies born alive after an attempted abortion.” Full stop. Cline’s boast is evidence, once again, that nonmedical professionals look completely foolish when they try to legislate medical practice.
Pinocchio stopped telling tales and, finally, became a real boy. It seems doubtful that Cline will follow suit and become an authentic representative. Indeed, we would be better served by Pinocchio. At least then we could more immediately discern when our “representative” in Congress lied.
WALTER C. BOUZARD Rockbridge County
