The enumerated powers of Congress are detailed in Article 1, section 8. Governmental abuse of two clauses in particular cause much mischief: The Commerce Clause and the General Welfare Clause.
Progressives have been on a Long March over the past 100 years to stretch these two clauses so out of shape that anything whatsoever they dream up may be justified by one or the other. These two abused clauses are now so capacious that they can hold the weighty and dubious notion that the federal government can compel you to buy health care. Why not make us all buy a new car or fall out of calisthenics every morning?
Restoring Balance Will Not Be Easy
GOP Senatorial hopeful Ken Buck recently lamented the encroachment of the Federal government upon the rights of the states and the people. He easily ticked off various examples, but he added that it would not be easy to restore balance after so many years of abuse.
We Can't Just Yank it Back
If conservatives were to regain control, we cannot simply yank the steering wheel back to the right. Liberals just tried yanking things their way, with disastrous results.
You've got to logically and intellectually make your case to the American people. We resisted being herded to the left. But a high-handed stampede to the right will also end in failure, with many rightist rustlers sliding over a cliff while voters scramble for the safety of the middle ground.
It's an intellectual battle
Liberals have failed to explain their programs, specifically health care. They hysterically accuse conservatives of blaring disinformation from the right wing noise machine and scream about Republicans being in cahoots with "big pharma" and "big"insurance." Nevermind that Obama has cut deals with both groups.
Liberal columnists throw up their hands, "The average voter is just too stupid to realize a good thing when he sees it!"
That is the problem. Instead of logically and intellectually explaining what's in the 2,000 pages, they get impatient and call names. Once you do that, you're done.
If you're trying to sell me something, the burden is on you to convince me to part with my money. If I'm too stupid to realize just how good a deal this is, then you need to talk slower and explain it better.
If I can't understand the benefit, I'm not parting with my money. That's a basic conservative principle that even liberals practice in their own private lives.
5 comments:
This is exactly what Obama is doing, thinking that we don't clearly understand the benefits of his health care reforms. He is slowing down, getting the bad guys involved (that's the GOP lawmakers), and dumbing it down to one and two syllable words.
What HE doesn't get, however, is that we clearly understood the DETRIMENTS of his hare brained Marxist proposals, and don't want anything to do with it.
And you are right about the commerce clause, liberals will justify absolutely any insanity with that one. It's been abused and contorted so much that its barely recognizable anymore.
Greeting's Mr.Silverfiddle!
First let me say that it was interesting at the start when you talked about people being "forced" to BUY health care. Our view's on HCR are quite different though, or at least what "reform" mean's.
I cant recall the last time I wasnt insured, and I never had to live through the current day nightmare's that many get with their insurance companies, but I never used it much either. I have stated though time and again in my journal of the scam's in insurance companies and how they work. I myself spent over 5 year's running the graphic's pre-press dept. of a Fortune 500 insurance company in the early 1990's that since dissolved. I prepared and updated all the policies to go to press in their in-house printing plant. So I used to proof read for typo's alot of stuff. And I am one who voted almost exclusively republican my entire life, but certainly not due to anything on health care. But I dont feel that health care should be treated as a commodity. I view thing's much different also than I did say 20 year's ago. I feel that many republican's are simply being used and lied to by insurance and pharma companies. I also support public option. As far as it being a "takeoevr" of health care(?) I cant no way believe that ... it simply dont make sense. Why? Because the small percentage of folk's who would buy it couldnt drive the insurance or pharma giant's out of business unless they couldnt compete, not just cost wise, but most importantly service wise .... that's simply how "capitalism work's. At this point in time I do trust government more on health care than insurance provider's. Why? Because I simply trust the inside oversight more of the government of people elected individual's than inside board's of insurance companies. I know how they work, and I am no saint .... we ripped off the companies as well, and I sure as Hell knew how money make's money, and see all the scam's, including these so call investment retirement scam's such as 401K and basically all of them, I'm a hustler .... it's my business to know scam's .... I have to survive/ eat. I am also one step further than that these day's on HCR .... I actually want total nationalized health care, I have stayed in Canada as well as England, and have familia working in the medical industries of Canada as well. I have posted much about this actually. But, that's just my opinion on that.
Maybe the republican's could do better as well than they have politically, simply by presenting some new idea's to deal with this. I know both side's are on the take, I made this long ago ... not just recently .... this is how the system worx ... IT DOES NOT represent the people .... at all. 40 year's ago .... yes ..... 2010 .... no. EVERYTHING NOW is corporate controlled including our representation down to our choices of who we vote for. That's just my opinion.
Thanx Guy ...... later.
Well, at least you are honest about where you stand, Chimp.
I think if this were a true capitalist system, not a crony capitalist one, prices would come down. Look at laser eye surgery and other elective procedures.
And if insurance were used like car insurance (only for the big stuff) costs would come down even more since people would simply pay out of their pockets, no paperwork, and shop around for the best deal.
I must disagree with Ranch Chimp when it comes to the public option. Obama and the rest of the leftist liberals have stated many times that They eventually want a "single payer" plan, which they will get through the public option, and the single payer system WILL be a complete government takeover of our health care.
I really don't think we can get this country back to what the founding fathers established, unless we ARE willing to YANK it back if it comes to that. Socialists do not give in easily. All through history, they have fomented revolutions to get what they want. We on the right should be ready and willing to do likewise if worse comes to worse.
Yes Reverend, but the conservatives, especially the Republican politicians in the spotlight, must be able to explain it to the American people.
"Because we say so" won't work for them any better than it did for the liberals.
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