In the still of the night

My late father used to tell me that “nothing good happens after midnight.” When I was young, stupid and full of vinegar, I seriously doubted the wisdom of that statement. But now as I have grown older, his admonition rings true. This morning (Monday 12/21) at 1:00am EST, the U.S. Senate voted to override cloture and place the mystery Healthcare Reform bill on the fast track to adoption. The tentative schedule calls for a final vote for passage at 7:00pm Thursday night, Christmas Eve. In the spirit of the season I ask the following (with a little help from Johnny Mathis):


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3qd0o_johnny-mathis-do-you-hear-what-i-he_music

So, do you hear what I hear? I detect the thundering hoof beats of runaway government. We are about to be crushed under the stampede of the Nanny State. Some of you dear readers have recently chided me for being an alarmist or for exhibiting signs of extreme paranoia. Consider this…several polls have indicated that more than fifty per cent of the voters have expressed their reservations about the proposed plan for restructuring healthcare in the U.S. Yet, through a series of backroom deals involving hundreds of billions of taxpayer funds, Majority Leader Reid and his cohorts have stubbornly moved this noxious legislation forward. There are, admittedly, some who believe that greater government involvement in our personal healthcare decisions is a good thing. They either assume that care would improve or that a leveling of health services would be more equitable than the current system. For them I have this seasonal ditty:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa4gpo_here-comes-santa-claus_music

Only if you believe in Santa can you embrace the notion that the federal government will be a superior source of healthcare than you could possibly arrange for yourself. If you are the type of person who lacks self discipline, then Uncle Sam’s denial of your daily Twinkie fix, the prohibition of Big Macs, and the flushing of all soft drinks may be the only avenue available to you. You must be one of those poor souls who have no will, no strength….no brains. It requires courage and thoughtfulness to make decisions that could have long term effects on your life. It may be easier to allow the government to call the shots, but at what point do you draw the line? Would you “feel” more secure if the Nanny established your bedtime and tucked you in at night? Of course not! You would begin to resent the overly intrusive involvement of the government. Your sense of your personal identity would be smothered by the good intentions of Big Nanny. You would chafe at lack of freedom and yearn for the opportunity to decide for you what is good…and what is not.

So, in essence, you agree that the Senate may be going too far, but you assume that there’s nothing you can do about it. You think are just one little grain in the litter box of life, and you’re used to Government dropping daily deposits in your world. As government has grown larger and larger, less responsive and more domineering, you may have become accustomed to the little droplets of excrement that shower you. You may loathe the way that insensitive bureaucrats treat you as if you were the turd floating in the punchbowl at the party celebrating the glorious government goodies for all. Oh, something stinks alright, but its not you. What smells is that the “leaders” of our nation have assumed that your life is of so little significance that they rather than you should determine how you live it.

Senator Tom Harkin (idiot-Iowa) stated that the Congress would pass this liberty-choking monstrosity in time for Christmas. In my view, if Harkin, Reid and others of their ilk represent the spirit of Christmas, then I prefer to take my chances with the Grinch. The message of Christ at Christmastime is one of salvation…not one of enslavement.

Always, always, always beware of politicians bearing gifts. They purchase them with your credit cards.

Please comment or email me: cnpearl@woh.rr.com