So said James Otis, an American patriot whose views helped shape the views of a new nation in the 1770s. It was no less true then as it is now. Our "representatives" in Washington, DC have seen fit to levy all sorts of taxes on us regardless of how we feel. This is certainly nothing new, but this latest debacle takes the cake. It is obvious to any literate American that takes the time to read the various polls that the majority of Americans are opposed to Barack Obama's version of "health care reform". So deep was the discontent that the seat held by Ted Kennedy, the leading champion of this issue, was won by a Republican who campaigned, in large part, on ensuring that this travesty of a bill would never become law.
This presented all members of Congress, Democrat and Republican alike, the perfect chance to do the right thing - to gather around a table, start from scratch, take ideas from both sides, and craft truly meaningful reform, rather than an ill-advised takeover of 1/6th of the nation's economy.
Did they do that? No, my friends, they did not. They resorted to the basest chicanery and parliamentary gimmickry to ram this thing down our collective throats. We didn't want this bill. We don't want the taxes that it imposes. I think most of us agree that reform is necessary, but this isn't it. Genuine tort reform, selling insurance across state lines to increase competition and thereby lower costs, providing government oversight to ensure that insurance companies can't raise rates arbitrarily, exclude for pre-existing conditions, and drop you when you are sick - this is the list of things that would truly create reform. It is, coincidentally, the laundry list of Republican ideas, most of which were discarded out of hand.
This, my friends, is taxation without representation. It is, as was observed by Mr. Otis, lo these many years ago, tyranny.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
On the brink
I haven't posted in quite some time. I think that's because I have been (figuratively speaking, of course) holding my breath. Or maybe I’ve been paddling rapidly upstream on the river of denial. I guess I was thinking, “Surely they won’t really do this, will they?” Seriously, passing legislation that affects 17% of the nation’s economy without a SINGLE Republican vote – nobody would be that stupid, would they? As it happens, they would, they could, and in the next few hours we will find out that they did. They’ll rationalize it every which way but loose. They’ll tell us it’s for our own good. They’ll say that they did it because it needed to be done. They will say all sorts of things. And in the end, we will see a fundamental change in the way our country works. For the first time (and I will predict right now that it won’t be the last time), you and I are going to be compelled by force of law to purchase goods and services. Maybe not quite at gunpoint, but when the compeller is the United States government, that doesn’t matter much, now does it?
So – I have to wonder what we can do now. Obviously, a big part of it will come down to money. The only way to vote the scoundrels out is to get out the message that we don’t want this, and that we will not under any circumstances allow the insulated “majority” in Washington to fundamentally change our nation without the consent of the governed. This is going to require time, effort and money. The National Republican Congressional Committee is a good place to start. We need to fund true reformers that will vote to repeal this travesty of a “law”. We need to put on notice those who have ignored our voices. We need to let them know that their jobs will go away in November. We need to target every single Democrat that voted for this in the House and Senate. Let’s get ‘em, guys. If we let them take away this bit of freedom, what is next? Do we really want to be the people that someday tell our grandkids that there used to be a thing called the Constitution of the United States of America that actually meant something, but we let that slip away from us?
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." – 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America
So – I have to wonder what we can do now. Obviously, a big part of it will come down to money. The only way to vote the scoundrels out is to get out the message that we don’t want this, and that we will not under any circumstances allow the insulated “majority” in Washington to fundamentally change our nation without the consent of the governed. This is going to require time, effort and money. The National Republican Congressional Committee is a good place to start. We need to fund true reformers that will vote to repeal this travesty of a “law”. We need to put on notice those who have ignored our voices. We need to let them know that their jobs will go away in November. We need to target every single Democrat that voted for this in the House and Senate. Let’s get ‘em, guys. If we let them take away this bit of freedom, what is next? Do we really want to be the people that someday tell our grandkids that there used to be a thing called the Constitution of the United States of America that actually meant something, but we let that slip away from us?
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." – 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Personal responsibility used to pay
OK, let’s talk about personal responsibility (or a noticeable lack thereof) and the rewards (or consequences) of such. I was brought up being told that I was responsible for my actions. If my actions were proper, then I could expect a reward (mostly just the satisfaction of having done the right thing, which Dad said was a reward in and of itself). Likewise, if I made bad decisions, acted improperly or irresponsibly, I could justifiably expect penalties.
It was this type of upbringing, one not unfamiliar to most of us, that has shaped the way I make most of the important decisions in life. One noteworthy example is the house that I live in. We have a very modest house, purchased on my income alone while the lovely and talented Mrs. S.B. was going to school. Prior to buying the house, we rented. And saved. And finally found a house that we liked. We bought (gasp) a house whose payments we could afford. And when she graduated we stayed in that house. We spent some money and time remodeling, but our address has remained unchanged for over 13 years now. We resisted the temptation to buy a “McMansion” that would have been barely within, or perhaps a bit beyond, our means. As a result, we have never, not once, missed a payment on our mortgage.
Sad to say, not everyone does that. Now I am not holding myself up as an example of personal responsibility, but in this, at least, I feel that I did what Dad would have advised. Many folks bought well above their means. The blame for this falls in a few places. First, the federal government made it ridiculously easy to buy more house than some folks could legitimately afford. They did this to ensure that everyone could experience the joy of home ownership (as if there is some sort of stigma attached to renting for a few years until you have the wherewithal to buy a house). Unscrupulous lenders also bear some of the blame – these guys are supposed to be in the business of lending money to people that might actually pay it back – that didn’t seem to be a requirement, though, in the past few years. Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, in my mind, blame lies on people that took these loans, moved into these houses and knew deep down inside that the balloon payment was going to crush them. Let’s face it – most people aren’t getting enough of a pay raise to double what they spend on housing – but that’s what happened on a lot of these mortgages.
But now we are in a place where all of Dad’s wisdom gets thrown out the door. Because those people are NOT being penalized for bad decisions. They are, instead, being REWARDED. President Obama has a plan that will help them fix their loans, resume their payments and (extra icing on this cake) give them $5,000 to pay down the principal on their mortgage if they make all their payments for the next few years. Makes me want to skip a few payments so that I, too, can get a bailout. Dad is spinning in his grave as we speak.
It was this type of upbringing, one not unfamiliar to most of us, that has shaped the way I make most of the important decisions in life. One noteworthy example is the house that I live in. We have a very modest house, purchased on my income alone while the lovely and talented Mrs. S.B. was going to school. Prior to buying the house, we rented. And saved. And finally found a house that we liked. We bought (gasp) a house whose payments we could afford. And when she graduated we stayed in that house. We spent some money and time remodeling, but our address has remained unchanged for over 13 years now. We resisted the temptation to buy a “McMansion” that would have been barely within, or perhaps a bit beyond, our means. As a result, we have never, not once, missed a payment on our mortgage.
Sad to say, not everyone does that. Now I am not holding myself up as an example of personal responsibility, but in this, at least, I feel that I did what Dad would have advised. Many folks bought well above their means. The blame for this falls in a few places. First, the federal government made it ridiculously easy to buy more house than some folks could legitimately afford. They did this to ensure that everyone could experience the joy of home ownership (as if there is some sort of stigma attached to renting for a few years until you have the wherewithal to buy a house). Unscrupulous lenders also bear some of the blame – these guys are supposed to be in the business of lending money to people that might actually pay it back – that didn’t seem to be a requirement, though, in the past few years. Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, in my mind, blame lies on people that took these loans, moved into these houses and knew deep down inside that the balloon payment was going to crush them. Let’s face it – most people aren’t getting enough of a pay raise to double what they spend on housing – but that’s what happened on a lot of these mortgages.
But now we are in a place where all of Dad’s wisdom gets thrown out the door. Because those people are NOT being penalized for bad decisions. They are, instead, being REWARDED. President Obama has a plan that will help them fix their loans, resume their payments and (extra icing on this cake) give them $5,000 to pay down the principal on their mortgage if they make all their payments for the next few years. Makes me want to skip a few payments so that I, too, can get a bailout. Dad is spinning in his grave as we speak.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Revolution? Already? Geez, THAT didn't take long....
Saw this on TV this morning nad had to look deeper. New Hampshire (the "Live Free or Die" state) has a resolution in their State House of Representatives that appears to put President Obama's administration on notice. The resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 6 (HCR6), is described as "A RESOLUTION affirming States’ rights based on Jeffersonian principles." Representative Dan Itse, Republican from New Hampshire's 9th House district, appeared on Fox and Friends this morning to discuss HCR 6. While Mr. Itse did make a point of stating "This is not about secession" (or words to that effect), the wording is pretty straightforward. Here's an excerpt:
That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:
I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.
II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.
V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.
VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and
That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually. Any future government of the United States of America shall require ratification of three quarters of the States seeking to form a government of the United States of America and shall not be binding upon any State not seeking to form such a government;
Not much else to say. It appears that the folks from the state that gave us the wording for the 9th and 10th amendments still take the notion of states' rights pretty seriously. Thank God for them, in my not-so-humble opinion. The resolution contains verbiage that requires that, once passed, all 50 state legislatures AND the President of the US be copied - that way there are no surprises. This one bears watching.
That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:
I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.
II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.
V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.
VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and
That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually. Any future government of the United States of America shall require ratification of three quarters of the States seeking to form a government of the United States of America and shall not be binding upon any State not seeking to form such a government;
Not much else to say. It appears that the folks from the state that gave us the wording for the 9th and 10th amendments still take the notion of states' rights pretty seriously. Thank God for them, in my not-so-humble opinion. The resolution contains verbiage that requires that, once passed, all 50 state legislatures AND the President of the US be copied - that way there are no surprises. This one bears watching.
Where to start?
OK, so here we are. President Obama has had the keys to the family minivan for just over a month now, and I cannot help but feel like I gave the keys to my teenage son instead and then realized that he had a fifth of whiskey in the front seat with him. I haven't blogged in quite some time, so i apologize in advance if my communication skills have gotten a bit rusty. Bear with me, this might be fun.
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