Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Trusting Your Gut

Why do the Democrats want this health care plan so badly? You've got to wonder. Polls show lukewarm support at best for this idea. Now David Axelrod, asked about the growing opposition to this plan, even in the current generally-sympathetic Democrat-controlled Congress, is quoted as saying "This isn't about a process. It's about results".
Excuse me, Mr. Axelrod. I think it is very much about the process. In fact, it is all about the process. That's the whole point of our form of government. It is designed to be a stumbling block to would-be tyrants like you and your boss who desire to impose their self-serving will on an unwilling people.
So why is this such a big deal? Why is it so important to them to get it done before the end of the year? Whatever your opinions on the state of American Medicine, you have to admit that it's a bit unsettling to have your elected leaders trying so hard to cram this through. Disagree? Try putting the shoe on the other foot.
If roles were reversed, and a Republican President and two Republican houses of Congress, both with unstoppable majorities, were pushing something you weren't entirely sure about, I would expect you to be a bit alarmed. I would be, too.
Unfortunately, the "fair-weather patriots" who protested loudly every time GWB scratched his face are nowhere to be seen. Their hypocrisy cries out for notice, but no one says a word. Their opposition to large government, to war in foreign lands, to illegal wiretapping, to imprisoning and torturing terrorists - all has gone silent.
They say you can be known by the kind of people you call your friends. I believe the same is true for those you oppose. If that's true, then those of us who oppose this administration's actions are probably just about right in our thinking. At least we call it like we see it, unblinded by ideology.
Nobody likes a pest. And in my experience, when somebody continues pushing something well beyond the point of uncomfortability, there is usually some ulterior motive. Just as the ultimate cynic (and well-known racist) President Lyndon Johnson used support of the civil rights movement to "ensure the [black] vote for the next 50 years", this promises to make an already government-addicted public powerless to remove these socialists from power.