An Early Christmas Present, Brought to You By The Hill
The Hill brings us some cheery sounding news:
“Doubts are growing among Senate Democrats that they will be able to pass the healthcare reform bill by Christmas, although they remain publicly optimistic.”
If the American people do in fact enjoy a respite from this manifestation of what Gov. Mitch Daniels called Obama’s “shock and awe statism,” I hope that it will occasion not just a momentary sigh of relief but also a serious reassessment. Who’s whether Harry Reid will be able to browbeat his recalcitrant colleagues into signing onto the disaster that is Obamacare. But if he doesn’t deliver the goods (if “goods” is the right word), I hope that this narrow escape will have a sobering, indeed, a transformative effect.
Escape from what? From a government takeover of American health care. From an ruinously expensive bureaucratic boondoggle that will reduce choice, impede medical innovation, and drastically expand the role of government regulation in your life.
Many people, I suspect, have lost sight of what the stakes are in the debate over so-called health care “reform.” The current deadlock is an opportunity to step back and ask some basic questions.
I know, I know: you are sick to death of the very phrase “health care reform.” So much has been written and said about it for so long that you just wish they would do something and move on — “they” being not only our duly elected public servants but also members of the commentariat like yours truly who may have had some sparkling things to say about the issue many months ago but have been repeating themselves for what seems like forever now.
Nevertheless if it is hard to ginger up any enthusiasm for the topic of health care reform, it is even harder to contemplate what is happening in Washington without an overwhelming sense of alarm. The Obama administration is not only on the threshold of usurping some 20 percent of the U.S. economy, handing it over to government bureaucrats to oversee, it is also just a few signatures away from utterly transforming medical culture and the way you will be allowed to interact with your doctors. Do you really want this?
Have you no backbone, woman, Congresswoman Giffords? AZ-8. Do my emails and phone calls fall on blind eyes and deaf ears? My postcards to your office? dismissed???
Have you not felt the heat of my contempt for your votes to enslave Americans?
I call you out — here; let every one of us talk loudly, frequently, and openly of the disdain for our freedoms and the constitution that petty despots like GIFFORDS exhibit in their votes to cancel out our birthright.
GIFFORDS HAS TO GO 2010. Design a t-shirt, despots have to go, and name them — wear it everywhere.
If we don’t use every legal means at our disposal, these usurpers will be facing armed resistance. Mark my words.
Rich, here’s what I don’t understand: How do people go through their daily lives with so little recognition of what is going on in Congress. Deception, trickery, and dishonesty are not values of 99.9% of the American population, and yet our politicians hold these principles dear to their hearts and America votes them into office. The the pols exhibit their true beliefs through their behaviors …. spinning, hiding, manipulating – it’s all there for all of us to see. As an author of books on personal accountability (QBQ!) I am confounded and astounded as I travel the country speaking that people who voted the Dems in are surprised at what they are now getting back. Where was the insight and foresight in Nov 2008 that people now seem to be gaining. Hopefully, it is not too late.
Why, after participating and watching the fiasco that has unfolded over the last 12 months, (Mr. & Mrs, America why or how can you for the foreseeable future trust any democrat of the current or previous generation with a statewide or national office? These democrats are not those of the thirties and forties.
My modest proposal and words will not reach the folks in Philadelphia, or other downtrodden cities filled with zip-codes where the democrat machine has bestowed upon those citizens their largesse with its associated no end in site to improvement of infrastructure, education, crime etc.
No!, look at the zip codes where the democrats have ruled for a protracted period and you see an American population and city decaying, that has not, for the most part been able to grow, culturally or spiritually, been able to pull themselves up, gain in stature, achieve a more robust educational program for their children. But sir they do have major league sports teams- wowsers!
What you do see, gang violence, abandon babies in dumpsters, full unemployment rolls, essentially no job creation, businesses that eek out an existence under burdensome regulations, “Stagnation of our fellow citizens hopes, dreams aspirations. I, you, we have seen this since the Johnson administration, billions have been poured into these areas without much to show. You see in these cities that are controlled for the most part by a party interested in perpetuating the status quo a combination of political benign neglect (I got mine!) and union cronyism, (we got ours!) you? well who knows
About you?
Look at Philly, Pittsburg, Detroit, L.A., Chicago you can almost see a patronage system of local politicians and union bosses who look upon the favored members and for the most part ignore any opportunity to assist, help, provide relief; (except at the holidays) for their fellow citizens. In these places Chicago, Philly, New York, L.A., Pittsburg, Detroit, and to be sure in some others also the corruption of the local politicians aligned with unions, with or without the “Goon” factor runs a long, deep and disturbing history.
For those politicians, union folks and the aforementioned undereducated folks stuck forever in those zip codes its about them and they have an ally in the president because its also about him! “Obama”
If you have been paying attention these last 12 months you obviously have determined it’s definitely not about us. Not we citizens, or our wishes for our health care, or our soldiers or our economy or our liberty! Or our memories of 911. The arrogance of a large segment of the political class is just mind boggling.
So why Mr. & Mrs. America would you seeing and witnessing what you have seen and witnessed these last 12 months ever stay home from the polls ever again ye sons and daughters of liberty. Liberty that word which means in this “Republic” you are the “Sovereign,” not the chief executive, not the senator or congressmen or women you help elect with your vote, you the individual citizen, the smallest and yet most important link in the chain that has brought this “Republic” from a colony to the preeminent power for good this small planet has ever seen. Along the journey the America of Washington, Boon, Lincoln, Crocket, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Regan, and the citizens of those times renewed and imbued the American journey with integrity or purpose, honorable deeds, equitable policies toward other countries, a sense of fair play, a desire to compete and to achieve a determination to provide opportunities for every individual to develop and achieve and bring their “Best Game “ to every endeavor. Yes we had our problems, some pretty big! But those who today pull the racism card, they are the racists not we. The America I grew up in was an America where the Attitude of Mind was set free in a climate of Liberty to go as far as you can go.
Lets get back there folks, in a hurry before we chance to walk further into the dark wood of National Socialism, remember it did not serve the Germans well.
Redball 6
“Escape from what? From a government takeover of American health care. From an ruinously expensive bureaucratic boondoggle that will reduce choice, impede medical innovation, and drastically expand the role of government regulation in your life.”
An insurance company lobbyist couldn’t have said it better.
“As an author of books on personal accountability … “
Why would you think that anything less than a significant majority of the people in this country think that they have to suffer the consequences of their own actions? The majority think that someone or something is supposed to come along and make it all work out for them.
”Where was the insight and foresight in Nov 2008 that people now seem to be gaining.”
Do you have any idea how many people have lived on the ability to refinance their home every few years for several decades now? People wanted someone socialist enough to bail out their investment in real estate but not socialist on other things. Besides, it feels good to vote for a black guy and prove you’re not racist. Huge numbers of people vote to make themselves feel good, not to put the best qualified person in office. It doesn’t take a lot of insight to make yourself feel good, and the less foresight the better is often the case when doing something to make yourself feel good.
”Hopefully, it is not too late.”
Just like huge numbers of people vote to make themselves feel good, large numbers stay home from the polls and don’t vote to make themselves feel better. Whether it’s too late or not depends more on whether those that feel good by staying home learned anything or not more than on whether those voting to make themselves feel good learned anything. Time will tell.
Regards
It’s actually makes my blood boil to see what these politicians are doing to this country. But it’s even more sad to realize that American population have given them this tight to do this.
Anonymous wrote: “An insurance company lobbyist couldn’t have said it better.”
Who pays you, “anonymous,” to troll this site? Big PhARMA? Soros? ACORN? The Democratic National Committee?
It’s interesting that the liberals who troll this site never seem to be able to rationally respond to the issues. It’s always snark or ad hominem.
Anon …
I thought the insurance companies were working with Obama on this ? Thats right they are … so who are you trying to point your finger at ? Who is the evil one in your story now ?
You or whomever pays for your roof and internet connection most likely works for a corporation so tell us again about the evils of corporate America …
Does indentured servant have meaning any longer? Well it should. Anyone US citizen born after this time will be in servitude to this is congress’ laws even though those congress persons be long gone.
Once it goes down in flames (please) governors like Daniels should enact real reforms in their state and lead the way. Remove mandates, for one. Let the free market reign.
I don’t think any of us should breathe easy. If the Gang of Three can’t get health care passed, Obama may just use one of his many czars to do an end-run around the American people’s wishes, like he did with the EPA and that ruinous regulation of CO2. This administration is determined to get permanent control over the people by any means possible.
How anyone who has ever been to the post office, or had anything to do with Medicare, or any other federal program, can think Obamacare is a good thing is beyond me.
If you like to see your tax dollars fill the coffers of thieves and scam artists, Obamacare is right for you.
If the insurance companies are doing anything illegal, or even unethical, let’s pass a ten-page (or under) reform bill — or better yet, a series of one-page reform bills..
I’d be a lot more fired up about this if I felt that the Republican party were going to be deserving to get back in control. I’d like to see them go on a small government, low tax, muscular foreign policy, route of governance. Sure “heath care reform” will be beaten back short term. But then we will get Mark Foley/Larry Craig/whomever 2.0 ethical and sometime criminal scandals (Cunningham) soon after the “R”s are back in business.
Bottom line, both political parties are terrible. I’d like to go the tea-party route, but is there enough cohesion to change the Washington DC culture?
As a general rule, the number of pages in a bill reflects the percentage of garbage contained therein. 1 page = 1% garbage, 99% that does what the bill is intended to do. 50 pages = half garbage, half intention.
2000 pages is 20x concentrated garbage.