The Republican party’s view of the U.S. Constitution has evolved since 1998. Rep. Tom Reed (R., N.Y.) demonstrated the hypocrisy of his party when he defended his vote against the establishment of rules for the current impeachment inquiry, saying an impeachment inquiry was not warranted based on the “abuse of power” allegations.
Mr. Reed took this position in his CNN interview on Sunday morning, asserting that an impeachment inquiry was only to be used against a sitting president who was guilty of “treason, high crimes” punishable by the death penalty. What?
Article II, Section 2, Clause 5 of the Constitution calls for impeachment upon “Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The absurdity of Mr. Reed’s reading of the plain words of the Constitution is obvious. Not only is he wrong in his claim that there is a “death penalty” threshold for offenses warranting impeachment, but the hypocrisy of his view is off the charts.
Apparently Mr. Reed and his fellow House Republicans have selective amnesia about the 1998 impeachment vote against President Clinton. President Clinton was impeached for lying under oath concerning his inappropriate relationship with a White House intern, and for obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation.
Sound familiar? There was no element of treason, and President Clinton was not headed to the gallows for either of these offenses, no matter the outcome.
However, in 2019, Mr. Reed and his GOP brethren contend that the House oversight responsibilities of the Executive Branch wielding the power of impeachment to be nonexistent unless there is a charge of treason to consider. Oh and the potential for a death sentence needs to be in play at the end of the process.
One would expect a better understanding of basic Constitutional principles from our elected leaders.
RICHARD MALONE
Holland
Glad to help out
A recent letter to The Blade excoriated American immigrants (“Unhappy Immigrants” Oct. 30), encouraging them to leave the United States. The author volunteered to carry their luggage. According to this author, the immigrants’ offenses include, “living in enclaves” and “observing their culture.”
I wish to remind him that, unless he’s a Native American, his ancestors were immigrants. Therefore, I offer to carry his luggage, escorting him back to wherever his ancestors originated. It’s the least I can do to right the actions of someone eager to chaperone Muslim Americans out of our country.
CHARLES WEINBLATT
Sylvania
Raise gas blend
Renewable fuel standard volumes should be substantially boosted next year because the program isn’t limited to ethanol and gasoline. Despite the oil industry’s unsupported claims, higher volumes will support U.S. biodiesel producers and farmers, including those right here in Ohio.
In the editorial, “Find the right mix,” Oct. 22, The Blade editors missed an opportunity to fact check the oil industry’s claim that higher RFS volumes would cause refiners to buy foreign biodiesel rather than domestic.
U.S. biodiesel producers have proven over and over again that they can meet higher volumes under the RFS. In 2018, domestic biodiesel and renewable diesel production increased by more than 300 million gallons in order to meet raised RFS standards.
According to the EPA, the United States has 3.2 billion gallons of operating biodiesel production capacity; unfortunately, that capacity is underutilized.
EPA should support growth in the RFS. Instead, it’s acting to roll back the industry’s potential. The author claimed that the 31 “small refinery waivers” granted by the EPA did not hurt farmers, like me.
However, these exemptions contributed to the idling of 240 million gallons of domestic biodiesel production with over 7,500 jobs impacted nationwide.
Biodiesel is a critical domestic market for soybean farmers and is more important than ever in light of current international market dynamics. Higher RFS volumes can help get those people back to work and provide a shot in the arm to rural America at a time it is needed most.
With the proper federal framework — and it starts by following the law — the domestic biodiesel industry has plenty of capacity for growth.
But with the current instability, the industry, and all those who work in it, are threatened. EPA should uphold the RFS as Congress intended and continue to grow advanced biofuels like biodiesel.
MIKE HEFFELFINGER
Van Wert, Ohio
First Published November 8, 2019, 5:00 a.m.
