The "health care" bill passed in Congress Sunday... I've given myself a few days to mull it over, and I can't imagine that anyone with as much as a high school education could believe that it's Constitutional. Pelosi was right- it was a 'victory'... a victory over the American people! The notion that Congress can compel you to buy any good or service is just appalling. Yes, I know that Missouri state law demands that I buy auto insurance to drive. However, it's my choice to drive. Apples and oranges. To me, this is just one more example of Congress' proclivity to piss on the Constitution at every opportunity!
I very much agree with Neal Boortz and Glenn Beck on this one. Their mood on this event is really very sour. I believe that this "health care" law, unless repealed, is certainly one of several nails in the coffin of this once amazing nation. It is the single largest threat to our long-term economic health since, well, the 2009 "stimulus" bill - which as you remember, added more debt to the nation's books in one year than all the previous administrations combined. Glenn Beck took a bit of an upbeat attitude about its passage, saying on his radio show Monday that this would be a watershed political event, and that Conservatives would sweep the Congressional elections this fall. That's great if he's correct, but recent history doesn't give me much hope of a return to Constitutional Principles.
Here's where Glenn Beck miscalculates: he's assuming that once the Congress and the Presidency is taken back by conservatives, then they will actually have the guts to reverse this insanity! My bet is that they won't. In my mind, Republicans exposed themselves as frauds back in the Bush Administration- with both houses of Congress and the Presidency, there is no excuse for making timid moves. Obama and his ilk are certainly wielding their power with ruthless efficiency. Chicago politics has found its way to Washington. The difference is that the Socialists of this country are hell bent on the complete destruction of their political opponents. Most Conservatives do not possess that killer political instinct, and never will. Unless Conservatives grow a pair, man up, and take bold action, their opponents will always have the upper hand.
I really hope that Beck is correct, and that a return to Constitutional principles is within reach in our lifetimes. I won't hold my breath. It breaks my heart that the USA is rotting from within and may be radically different in 20 years. I place the blame squarely at the feet of Congress, and not just the current one. It goes all the way back to FDR and the Great Society... Once those ideas took hold, our death warrant was signed- it's just amazing to me that we've managed to go this long without bankrupting the Country! There is something to be said for the American spirit, and frankly our luck as a nation. Beck has touched on one thing that may be quite correct- it may literally take a 're-founding' of our nation to ensure that freedom and individual rights can be upheld for the long term.
It will take much more than a balanced budget and tax reductions to fix our economic problems. We will have to have a better trade balance in the future, but big talk about keeping manufacturing jobs here is just that- talk. Let's see. Made in the USA: Pros- educated workforce, good infrastructure, good intellectual property law. Cons- OSHA, wage laws, unions, EPA, litigious populace, high wages, expensive state-run health care, high taxes and fees on both Federal and State levels, politicians constantly meddling in business affairs, contract law that means nothing, Presidential power to fire CEOs... Made most other places: Pros- low taxes, reasonable wages, relatively less government interference. Cons- possibly less-educated workforce, possibly less-reliable infrastructure, language might be difficult. Pretty easy decision from a businessman's perspective. Not to mention finance- USA: Fannie, Freddie, Community Reinvestment Act, position limits on 'certain' commodities, Sarbox, FDIC, meddling Congress. Elsewhere: glad to get the financial business...
Even though my political mood is waning, my personal life seems to be going just fine at the moment. I've made some adjustments in my finances, assuming more difficult times are in store for our Country for the foreseeable future. As soon as my means allow it, the possibility of a second home elsewhere in the world is becoming more certain. When the Government's tentacles seem to reach into my life more than ever, and the very freedoms I've taken for granted throughout my life seem to be crumbling, I will do what I must to ensure that the prospects for my family remain good.
