The positive side of Republicans’ negative votes

Robert R. Kessler, Las Vegas

Saturday, June 12, 2010 | 2:02 a.m.

I get a kick out of the complaints that congressional Republicans only know how to say “no” and have no positive proposals of their own. For a minority party, Republicans have been remarkably positive in their approach. But you’d never know it from how the Democrats — and their media sympathizers — characterize Republican positions.

When it came to Obamacare, for example, Republicans uniformly voted no. But that actually was a vote in favor of avoiding a legislated, ineffective, outrageously expensive government solution and clearing the way for real health care reform, which includes real competition and real consumer choice in the private sector — at a fraction of the government’s cost.

On cap and trade, the Republican no vote actually is a vote in favor of maintaining our national sovereignty while exploring and exploiting real energy solutions that will reduce our dependence on foreign energy and maintain environmental quality. That includes affirmatively sweeping aside arbitrary, politically motivated constraints on genuine energy solutions.

On economic stimulus packages, a Republican no vote actually is a vote in favor of reduced government spending, reducing taxes so that the private sector can invest its own money where it will actually stimulate business activity and actually generate the most jobs. That’s what the private sector does best and the government fails at consistently.

So I support Republican resistance to the unconstitutional government takeover of our personal and business lives. I would only offer them one suggestion. Their vote shouldn’t be no. It should be hell no!