Archive for the ‘Government Overdose’ Category

When Congress passed the now infamous health care reform bill on March 21, it confirmed what I had suspected for some time. We were in a war between big government leftists and those who oppose them. Only the naive or those in denial can consider this an overstatement.

I’m not alone in my view. Two days after that Sunday of infamy, author and radio host Dennis Prager stated, “I write the words ‘civil war’ with an ache in my heart. But we are in one.” About a week later, economist and political commentator Walter Williams implied the same when he wrote, “I believe we are nearing a point where there are enough irreconcilable differences between those Americans who want to control other Americans and those Americans who want to be left alone that separation is the only peaceable alternative.” Conservative author David Horowitz was way ahead of the curve when he said in 1996, “The Left is permanently at war with America.”

As for my own analysis, I begin by defining war this way: When two or more groups reach a point where they’re unable to resolve their disagreements, a “state of war” exists. This is the political state of affairs in which we now find ourselves. It’s been an ongoing conflict based on a fundamental difference in values. On one side you have those who favor a large proactive government that has the power to arbitrate the affairs of its citizens. On the other side you have those who believe the American citizen should arbitrate his own affairs with little or no government interference.

That this is a non-violent war—a sort of “cold war,” so to speak—is our only consolation. Further debate will not resolve it. Our irreconcilable differences have given us gridlock and partisan politics, but no end to the conflict. That’s unlikely to change.

How we managed to get to this point of strong-armed government excess is no longer relevant. Where we go from here must be our new focus. How we choose to fight this battle should be our paramount consideration. Beyond that, we must assess the current situation in the context of this New American Civil War in which we are now faced.

All we know is something happened in the dark of night under the cloak of secrecy. What exactly it is, they won’t tell us. But Harry Reid has assured Americans that whatever it is, we’re going to like it. I think that’s what Mark Twain had in mind when he said, “If you don’t get what you like, you have to like what you get.”

So what are we talking about here? Incredible as it may seem, not even Harry Reid knows for sure. But he insists that whatever it is, it won’t cost much. With a sales pitch like that, it’s no wonder that so many people are concerned about what we might get stuck with in the end. And I do mean, in the end.

No one in their right mind would buy a car the way Congress is trying to sell their health care legislation. It would be like buying an automobile sight unseen, not knowing the model, the year, or the price tag. And if you don’t like those terms, tough luck; you have to buy one anyway. And by the way, even though you’re going to love driving it, there’s no warranty.

I don’t think I have adequate words to describe our current administration’s approach to health care. Phrases like “Feeble-minded,” “insanely warped,” “autocratic power grab”—all words that fall a bit short of the reality of this tyrannical lunacy. And the lunacy may have only just begun.

Now that the House and the Senate have each approved their own version of health care reform, Congress has to come to an agreement as to what bill they’re going to submit to the President to sign. Whichever version prevails, or even if it becomes a hybrid of the two, the final result will be a little like being given a mysterious venereal disease. Even if you don’t know what you have, you know you’ve been screwed.

There are some things in which our government is reliably consistent. For example if you give them money (or in our current administration’s case, take it) no good can come of it. As P.J. O’Rourke once said, “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”

Last month Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that $373 million in stimulus money will be used to fight obesity and encourage Americans to eat healthy. The plan sounds good on paper, but as we all know, as soon as the federal government enters the scene, you end up with another bureaucratic contraption that’s expensive to run, difficult to control, and impossible to stop.

And typical of most federally funded programs, you have to comply with a list of conditions in order to be eligible for any money. This means that any municipality or community organization that wants to hop on board the HHS gravy train must perform a series of government mandated kabuki dances to get the cash.

Meanwhile, Americans will remain obese, eat junk food, and ignore the Food Police. But watch out, America. Step out of line with the Department of Health and Human Services and they’ll send  the Gazpacho after you.

I’d be worried about the future of this country if I believed that Americans were really as stupid as Democrats believe we are. I take some comfort in knowing that their low opinion of our collective IQs says more about their stupidity than ours. Besides, insulting our intelligence is the one thing of which they excel, so it’s something you learn to live with, I guess.

Their latest gambit is one part TV infomercial marketing, and one part Orwellian newspeak. Senate Democrats, dissatisfied with the phrase, “cap and trade,” are rebranding their tax on greenhouse gases into “pollution reduction and investment,” a new slogan they hope will be more effective. Whatever. It’s still basically a tax on air.

Supporters of the green legislation (entitled “The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act”), are hoping the makeover will better reflect what they see are the selling points of the global warming bill: national security, new jobs, and technical innovation. Fancy new words—same old con job.

read the original story

The misguided do-gooders are at it again. The FDA announced today that a “ban on cigarettes with flavors characterizing fruit, candy, or clove” goes immediately into effect. Now, I don’t want to get into the bad science, misleading statistics, and faulty reasoning that go into all of this. The deal is done. And you can’t argue with a smiley-face Nazi once they’re convinced that you’re not capable of having a choice in the matter.

By the way, the FDA invites you government zealots to become part of the Tobacco Flavor Police. You don’t get a badge, or a whistle, or anything, but the FDA does recommend that vigilant citizens report information of possible violations directly to the FDA. It’s your tax dollars diligently at work.

read the FDA report