by Lance Thompson
A Democrat Congress with overwhelming majorities and a Democrat president with a hard left agenda have enacted into law a massive takeover of a vast sector of our economy. They did this over the objections of what every poll showed to be a majority of Americans. Health care reform was also enacted over bipartisan objection–no Republicans voted for the bill, but several Democrats voted against it. Health care reform was achieved at the cost of crippling debt and the certainty of seismic disruption of our health care system. Liberals consider this a victory. Conservatives should see it as a declaration of war.
The other side has named the stakes. They want a dependent population that will have to rely upon and petition the government for health care, and enslave the same population with massive debt. If they prevail, government will be the highest authority in every aspect of your private life–not simply medical care. Government will tell us what we can eat, how much we can weigh, what activities we can participate in, and how old is too old to receive medical treatment. All of these are part of the new health bill. All this comes at a multi-trillion dollar price. Even the CBO (Cooked Book Office) estimate says the cost will be at least one trillion dollars, but they can’t predict most of the fiscal effects. The end of personal liberty for every American and fiscal ruin for the nation’s economy are the stakes.
The other side has established the tactics. “By Any Means Necessary” is the name of the play book which inspired the statements “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” from Rahm Emmanuel; “We have to pass the bill to see what’s in it,” from Nancy Pelosi; “We make up the rules as we go along,” from Alcee Hastings; and “I won, you lost,” from Barack Obama himself. These attitudes were embodied in secret partisan meetings to draft voluminous and unintelligible legislation, blatant bribes to curry favor and win Congressional votes, bookkeeping and accounting tricks to hide the unsustainable costs, and lie upon lie about the nature and consequences of socialist health policy.
We could certainly respond to these tactics by adopting them, but the unscrupulous actions of the Democrats in the White House and Congress contribute greatly to the dissatisfaction most Americans have expressed. We must use Constitutional means to wage this war, not unconstitutional. But we must use every legal weapon, tactic and strategy in the arsenal our Founding Fathers provided.
Republicans and responsible Democrats in Congress must use every legislative rule and loophole to delay, disrupt and repeal this attack on American liberty. Our Constitution was created to keep any one political entity from quickly and easily passing such sweeping legislation. Those on the left have trampled the checks and balances, the deliberative processes, and the careful framework of governance that have served this country so well throughout its history. We must not stoop that low, but we must meet this assault with every legitimate countermeasure afforded us.
We must not be silent when those in the media choose to cheerlead for one party, overlook ethical lapses, or ignore outright graft and corruption. We must contradict every false statement, challenge every illicit maneuver, and indict every guilty party regardless of the rules of decorum. Too much is at stake to let a single falsehood stand or any charlatan to act with impunity. We must raise our voices, stand our ground, and demand justice and accountability from our elected representatives.
This is not a war we sought, but there is too much at stake to falter in the face of this enemy. Americans have often found themselves bruised and bloodied at the beginning of such conflicts. In the opening months of the Revolution, General Washington retreated across nearly the entire breadth of Colonial America. In the Civil War, the Union was rocked by a succession of costly defeats. In World War II, Japanese forces advanced halfway across the Pacific before being checked. We have always recovered from initial defeats, rallied against the enemy, and prevailed in the long struggle to protect our freedoms. We must do the same in this fight. The enemy wins only if we roll over and accept the loss of our liberty.
In earlier conflicts, we have coined phrases that reminded us of the cause, and stiffened our resolve. “Remember the Alamo,” “Remember the Maine,” “Remember Pearl Harbor,” “Remember 9/11.” We, too, must remember the continual assaults on our Constitution, our freedom, and our individual rights. We must remember during every day of this struggle, and particularly on November 2nd, all those who took part in and made possible this outrage, and demonstrate to them that it is the people who have the final say–at the ballot box.
When she became Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi was fond of pointing out that “elections have consequences.” We must remind her and her fellow Democrats that Congressional votes have consequences as well, and that we won’t forget. Those responsible will be held accountable. Perhaps we can add another phrase to the list of stirring American rallying cries in the cause of freedom: “Remember in November.”
