A Tale Of Two Visions
Had you been searching for the perfect and simultaneous crystallization of competing visions for America, you would have found the last 24 hours to have been virtually without equal. With all the dependability of Monday morning's sunrise, the Obamas spied a fresh field of American life insufficiently plowed by federal dictates and went to work. Pulling a fresh $4.5 billion from the same printing press that is exhausting itself while printing our way to fiscal oblivion, the First Couple unveiled the, "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act." The new law regulates what children will eat before, during, and after school. After all, noted the First Lady, "We can't just leave it up to the parents." No, of course not.
In this vision Americans must be led by the nose and forced to engage in one activity or another, for their own good of course. They are expected to work hard and then yield increasing portions of their earnings and liberty to their wise and benevolent superiors in Washington, who will dispense the largesse according to their own enlightened, judicious assessments without regard to favors, bribes, or any of the other mechanisms by which they achieved office in the first place. Limited only by their fertile imagination, these superior beings will tell the masses what kind of food to eat, what kind of vehicles to drive, what kind of lightbulb to use, ad infinitum. The lineal descendant of dictators and crackpots from Mao to Chavez, from Stalin to the little gargoyle in North Korea, this vision robs people of their property, their dignity, and their freedom in pursuit of the half-baked notion that one human can perfect another. Desolation and ruin are its offspring.
While the Obama's were putting smiley faces on this vision, Judge Henry Hudson offered another vision for America, where the Constitution and the rule of law still matter. Addressing Obamacare's requirement that citizens must purchase health insurance, Hudson saw the obvious. Noting that, "...the legislative process must still act within constitutional bounds," the judge added that, "Salutatory goals and creative drafting have never been sufficient to offset an absence of enumerated powers." Speaking to the government's attempt to tether the mandate to the Commerce Clause, Judge Hudson wrote that, "This broad definition of the economic activity subject to congressional regulation lacks logical limitation and is unsupported by Commerce Clause jurisprudence." In short, the individual mandate is inconsistent with the concept of individual liberty that is enshrined and codified in the Constitution.
Then, as if to underscore the point, Senate democrats today dropped another whopper of an omnibus spending bill that freezes this year's $3.5 trillion budget through next year without allowing any spending cuts. Anyone still wondering if the left learned anything from the last election? This colossal monument to assinine stubbornness is nothing more nor less than democrats extending their middle finger to the American people. Unimpressed by the Constitution, unmolested by conscience or reason, they're now unhinged from any sense of accountability. The new congress will also be grappling with similarly audacious administrative maneuvers, as an alphabet soup of executive agencies attempt to pick up where the current congress leaves off.
Two visions, two diametrically opposed philosophies of governance. Nothing less than the future of the country is at stake, and it is not preordained that the Founders' vision will prevail. When the inevitable talk of searching for common ground and compromising with these power hungry zealots begins, our side must be reminded of the events of the last 24 hours.
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Comments :
Nov '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
Chavez has requested another year of rule by decree. Perhaps it will give the Obamas ideas.
Feb '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
It's bizarre beyond belief. A party that yammers on about fiscal responsibility yet in their actions are fiscally irresponsible beyond the ability for people to even become angry anymore. (Yes, I can hear you say, which party are you talking about? Exactly...)
I don't believe we will get out of all this until a much larger crisis teaches us to treat such criminal behavior as really criminal-- to enforce some real consequences for abusing the system. I'm talking serious jail sentences for corrupt Congress critters and Wall Street swindlers alike. Sure, maybe some undeserving people will be caught up in the lynch mobs but the lesson will have been given.
Nov '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
Unfortunately, the left is not the least bit interested in learning anything from constituencies that reject a socialist agenda.
Thank you for a great post!
May '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
Mind blowing. Sky rocketing spending with corresponding debt increases, is driving us off of a fiscal cliff. Moodys makes public its concern and potential move towards debt downgrade. Meanwhile, the administration and Congress continue to spend without any semblance of control - talk about Nero fiddling...............
Busy SA, you aren't going to have to wait long for a much larger crisis. The problem is that when it comes, all of the reasonable remedies will be gone, leaving only excruciating pain with not even aspirin for relief.
Difficult to believe that so many people can feel themselves to be so superior, when in fact they are completely clueless. Have we put delusion inducing drugs in the water and/or air in DC?
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
Steve, the delusion-inducing drug is power, which is what our constitution is designed to keep in check, ...which is why the left so energetically ignores it.
Oct '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
Too true. That even Charles Krauthammer can treat Charlie Rangel's tax evasion as an annoying stain on a distinguished career is a sign of how far we have to go. I have zero faith in the administration and most of Congress. They are driving this country off a cliff and either don't care or don't notice because they are too busy feathering their own nests.
Jul '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
The continual testing of Constitutional limits by the left since FDR has resulted in a dull acceptance of its plasticity by the country. The spasms of resistance like now have been brave but not enough to stave off long term erosion. The Constitution is not taught in the public schools and scorned as outmoded by the academy in the age of non-exceptionalism, multiculturalism and multilateralism. Now that the smart people who went into business to make money instead of government to make policy seem to be awakening to their peril. Maybe it's not too late.
May '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
Dave you are undoubtedly correct about power being the corrupting and delusional cancer in our governing process. It is amazing as you would think that the system should be simplicity itself: a) regardless of tax rates, revenues are going to average between 18% - 19% of GDP. b) Government has a responsibility to perform a number of clearly defined services for the people in the Constitution (defense, interstate commerce etc.) c) Federal budgets should thus be limited to 18% of GDP except in case of war or similar type of national emergency. If anything is left over in revenues after government fulfills it's responsibilties then they can cast a wider net of stuff to do - or bank it for a rainy day.
Instead of the above we get fiscal insanity coupled with Government not fulfilling its core responsibilities (E.G. border defense). I hope the new Congress can reverse the course we have at present, because if we carry on for any longer the result is not going to be pretty. As I plan to retire in 6 months, I would really like a lifetime of US$ savings to be worth something medium - long term.
Sep '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
We have unprincipled spendthrifts and elitists, and then there are the Demorcrats. Who do we look to for a solution?
I am becoming convinced that the crisis we face goes well beyond that stated above. It is cultural rather than just political. We have become an amusement seeking leisure driven people. One only has to look at the amount of texting going on around him or her, or count the number of people listening to their I-Pod 24/7, to see what I mean. The Founders warned against creating an elitist rich leisure class like that of 18th century Europe. Instread, through the use of technology, we have a poor leisure class who check out of life and reality via their blackberries.
I think Marx had it wrong. It is information technology that is the opiate of the masses.
May '10
Re: A Tale Of Two Visions
Interesting piece in today's American Thinker titled "The only thing that will save us now is fear itself."