Four Score and seven years ago our Fathers brought forth
On this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty
And dedicated to the proposition that
All men are created equal
Now we are engaged in a great Civil War,
Testing whether that nation, or any nation
So conceived and so dedicated, can long endure
After passage of the Whig’s Great Reform Bill, when the Tories regained the primeministership in 1834 under Sir Robert Peel, he conceded in the Tamworth Manifesto that the Tories accepted the Bill’s destruction of crown patronage and rotten boroughs in favor of the new electoral system; and then he defiantly declared that the Tories would thrash the Whigs at the polls.
The Republican Party sustained devastating defeats in 2006 and 2008. As of 2010, with large majorities in both houses of congress and holding the presidency, the Democrats have passed the Stimulus Bill, nationalized GM and Chrysler, continued to bail out wall street, are formulating new regulations for the financial industry, plan to nationalize the student loan industry, the House has passed Cap and Trade, and on March 23rd the President signed into law the Senate version of health care reform.
With the passing of health care reform we behold the victory of the astounding proposition that federal tax law and criminal law are necessary to enforce a “right “to health care. This is reminiscent of Buckley’s statement that “Liberals don’t care what you do as long as it’s compulsory.” Heretofore in American political theory and history, rights had been associated with liberty rather than compulsion, but no longer, it seems. And, according to the House Speaker, there’s more statist compulsion where that came from.
What is most remarkable about the sordid saga of health care reform is that the Senate bill could not pass the Senate today and it was only passed by a House that immediately voted to amend it. It remains to be seen whether the reconciliation bill with its fixes will pass the Senate. But the question is, how was all this possible?
Two things account for the tortuous path that health care reform legislation has taken: the spontaneous and articulate protest of a large portion of the American People on the one hand, and ironclad party discipline on the part of the House and Senate Republicans, on the other. Who could have predicted that there would be anything but smooth sailing for health care reform given the fact that as a candidate the Democratic President campaigned on this issue and that the elections resulted in a 60 seat, filibuster proof Senate and a 40 seat majority in the House. Yet, public opinion has been completely reversed on health care and this prodigious political feat has forced the Democrats in congress and as well as the President to lay bare for all to see unvarnished their statist objectives and the lengths to which they are willing to go to achieve them.
Now, the question becomes, not whether the Republican Party will be transformed, but whether it will be transformed Tamworth-style into a “me-too” party, accepting as a fait accompli the triumph of Statism and seeking only to share in its spoils–or whether it will refound itself to restore the founding principles of liberty and limited government and bring forth “a new birth of freedom”, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”.
I think somebody got the parties mixed up. The Dems are the ones who turned into the “me-too” party. See TARP (The Early Days) for details.
@Barton
Nice. There it is, all wrapped up in one simple declarative sentence.
Hey DannyD: It is rampantly apparent your reading comprehension and knowledge of history do not extend past a primary school education. So please, leave the political analysis to the experts. Nice try though…
@Kolohe, if you consider that expert political analysis we can leave it at that. Have a good one, honey.
That is the million dollar question, isn’t it. I was on Hot Air yesterday and I read about a GOP Senator who is already saying we don’t need to repeal the whole thing, that he believes we, “can use the current bill in some form and work with Democrats to improve it.” Needless to say, this angered me immensely. I have resisted calls for a third party, and taken part in imploring conservatives not to stay home to send another message, but this fool clearly hasn’t heard the last two, (2006 and 2008.) I am going to vote for the repeal it and Replace GOP, but if they betray me another time, it will be third party all the way. I want nothing more to do with prostituted principles, or the idiotic pandering.
@Flyovercountry:
With as many flaws and questionable differences in how each State is going to fund the gaps it would be far better to repeal this sad sack of crap, remove the back room deals and perks placed in it to garner support and do the actual reform from scratch. It has too many loopholes and places undue and unsustainable fiscal burdens on the individual States that are cash strapped at this time.
Governors and State legislatures have fiscal problems that do not need to be further injured by this over ambitious program that is essentially an unfunded mandate that is overreaching and not Constitutional. Each individual State, per the 10th Amendment, has authority to regulate insurance of all types by Boards and Commissions. That authority is Constitutionally reserved to the States by Law and not to the Federal Government.
I am not political party affiliated but I see a lack of responsibility on both sides of the aisle regarding fiscal prudence. The real threat that has it’s boot on America’s throat right now is overspending and unemployment, not health care or energy. Then repair of Social Security and reform of MEDICARE that includes Tort Reform can follow as the economy corrects itself. No Nation on Earth has ever taxed and spent itself into prosperity and that is a historical fact. The economic illiterates in Congress need to be carefully weeded out at the next election if the US is not to become a third world country. The incredible ignorance and arrogance of the incumbents is truly appalling to me. Most of them could not run a lemonade stand and break even without taxpayer subsidy. That is troubling for me.
State Legislatures that are spending too much need to be weaned from Federal Funds as well for their own good. The TARP funds that were handed out like Mardi Gras beads just dug the hole deeper and are All borrowed money anyway. The Stimulus was a short fused bomb that will go off as debt must be repaid. Additional taxation just restricts economic growth so the amswer does not lie there. This is a depression, not a recession with small businesses and large reducing costs and layoffs continue. The States will be forced to be more fiscally prudent. Businesses will not experience growth until the threat of additional costs and fees are lifted.
Tough times ahead for sure. Until the Federal Government cuts back on spending, borrowing and meddling above their Constitutional mandates the whole economy is being held hostage by fools. The realities of the times do not justify the cost of Universal Health Care at this time. You can only rob Peter to pay Paul for a limited time.