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Is Health Care America's New Political Third Rail?

It used to be that any attempt to so much as breath a whiff about reforming, changing, or even discussing reform or change of "Social Security", the massive Ponzi-scheme social welfare entitlement system set up by the Democrat Party a half century ago, meant something near political suicide, at least amongst the American government, political, and media establishments.

Social Security has never been reformed, because it can never really be fixed. It is a fundamental failure that is openly-acknowledged as utterly unsustainable no matter how much money the welfare statists print and throw down the tube to sustain it. It's demise is inevitable, but hopefully not as just another casualty of the total collapse of our economic system under the weight of Leviathan's bottomless bloat.

The hysterical, fear-mongering decades-running sandbag defense of this scam of a ruse of 'security' in elder years, brought to you by our efficient, benevolent federal overseers, was a potent force for many years.

But has the wider public now gained an intuitive understanding from this runaway trainwreck of a system that letting the camel's nose under the tent on issues of such broad and deep impact on the country will soon follow with the whole hungry camel lodged in your living room?

I think so. I think we are seeing the latest exercise in the reality that attempting to impose "health care reform" on America by federal government fiat is the new third rail American politics.

It is fitting that instead of this third rail shocking those who would reduce or end government's control over a broad social good (such as by halting an unsustainable federal dole of across-the-board old-age financial entitlement, deceptively dubbed "Social Security"), instead it is administering rapid political jolts those who seek political control over the even broader and more endemic social good of health care.

Bill Clinton got instant karma, in political terms, for manipulation, monomaniacal arrogance, and partisan warfare as tools to make the federal government the omnipotent force in our country's health care "system". Clinton's hubris and unwelcome paternalistic excess cost his party their 40-year run controlling 1/2 or all of the United States Congress, before he had even reached 2 years in office.

I was lucky enough in January 1995 to be sitting on the floor of the House amidst the new Republican majority when Clinton announced the end to big government's "era", in his State of the Union address. Ashame that new Republican majority didn't hold him to it, before devolving into their own federal power binge under the autocrat Bush....leading to their recent political demise.

But the worm can turn fast in political terms....if opponents repeat or, better, magnify their mistakes. Barack Obama looks to be headed on that same 1st-term Clinton trajectory, but with even more gusto.....grasping that third rail, locked arm-in-arm with his and his party's entire identity and credibility at stake.

We'll see if the GOP and the broad range of other (non-political) forces marshaling against the ObamaCare Nightmare will repeat the same mistakes as the last beneficiaries of the public's punishment of the last unitary Democrat majority and their mania to assert federal control over something as profound as the health of each and every citizen in the land.

I hope the forces of limited, accountable government finally have the day and win out over the welfare statists, trite central planners and their legion of enablers cocooned inside the D.C. beltway.

Comments

Anonymous said…
What the hell is wrong with social security you morons. We pay into social security for our old age so we who didnt gross millions have food and living expenses. Damn if you fools think you can win votes by going after social security, do you want to have euthanisa as a methodology for dealing with old age? What the hell is your plan for health care reform, keep letting the for profits steal all our funds, so they can pay CEO's, shareholders and beancounters huge salaries and commission delivering nothing towards health care. You were wrong about Iraq, wrong about torture, wrong about the Banksters, wrong about taking regulations off the bankers, credit card companies, while the lot of them drove the country into bankruptcy. Now you want to get rid of "entitlements" the only mechanism which keeps our elderly, poor, disabled in survival mode? Are you just a bunch of satanists?

C Street and The Family has control of your freaking brains. C Street believed in Hitler and Chairman Mao. Why Mao? Because he had the little red book everyone carried with the rules, if you go against the rules...you go to jail. Critical and free thinkers would send you right to re-education camps under Mao. Please do tell us what you think of those Congressman/Senators who believe they are above ALL laws...even Gods law...because they are put in those seats by God, therfore you can commit murder, adultry, violate Consitution, violate UN treaties and international law, engage in torture, bribery and other heinous crimes...but oh my GOD lets not reign in the 1% of the elitists, corporate billionaires...you are their side?
Anonymous said…
You are a Professor? What do you teach? If this is the garbage you are teaching our kids, its no wonder we have the most uneducated, ill informed population?

Are you a teabagger? Do you stand with the crazy lunatic from Sussex, who says, "an angel came to her and told her that aliens were in America"? Is this what the republican party has come down too?

Where do you get your health care information? World Net Daily, Cato Insitute? If you are healthy now which most people are in their 30's and 40's, cant wait till you 50 and start dealing with real health care issues, then perhaps you can begin to understand how "real people are hurting" from this free market, for profit health care system bankrupting this country. Fools, and nuts putting out the most vile information and calling yourself a liberaterian is the worst form of hypocrisy.
Anonymous said…
Now there is a rational, well stated argument!
Anonymous said…
BTW, this revamping of healthcare is going to be about as successful as the war on drugs!
Tyler Nixon said…
I'm all for social security NOT entitlement.

It is impossible to fathom how perverse is a government-run old-age entitlement system funded most crushingly on the backs of young, lower-income wage-earners...for which even Warren Buffett is entitled to collect.

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