However long the odds, we need to work for repeal. Otherwise, as Ace points out, there are only two options: "Raise taxes ruinously, or allow the country to repudiate its debt and go bankrupt."
And for those of you who voted for Obama and the Democrats in order to chastise the Republicans, I hope you're happy. There are surely better ways to bring the party back into line than by handing the country over to a pack of socialists. As somebody on one of the blogs said today (unfortunately, I can't remember where I saw it), if you're a conservative/libertarian, you may not always be able to trust every Republican, but you can never trust any Democrat.
How did we get to this pass? Ideological subversion over a period of decades (facilitated, of course, by irresponsible voter unawareness). Below, an old KGB hand explains how it works (H/T to friend and commenter John).
In the meantime, Silver Linings. And let's not waste time wringing our hands over the "impossibility" of repealing this monstrosity. Repeal is impossible only if one is willing to view this legislation as an act of God. Now, Obama and Pelosi may consider themselves to be, respectively, Zeus and Hera - or, more likely, they both see themselves as Zeus - but we don't have to. The one thing that is certain is that repeal of the health care bill will be impossible if we don't try to repeal it.
There are always silver linings, but you have to take advantage of them. I hope that the Republican party doesn't fall asleep again.
ReplyDeleteYikes! The US taking a giant step towards the Nanny State? That type of retrograde action emboldens the soclialists throughout the Anglosphere.
ReplyDeleteI hope the clear thinking majority in the US gets this crushed. There was some comment here in Australia that the process (requiring a simple majority as opposed to the super variety) is unconstitutional. Is there any strength in that argument?
Penguin.
Penguin: The lack of a super-majority isn't a real obstacle, as I understand it ( a lot of this is what we call "inside baseball", and practically inscrutable to most people, including me). There are some additional things that can be done to slow the final processing down, but the best hope is the coming Democratic bloodbath in this year's elections; as many as 36 states are also preparing legal challenges. There are those who say it's almost impossible to repeal an entitlement, but the "benefits" part doesn't kick in until 2013, while the tax increases and other expenses will be felt in the short-term, so I don't see repeal as being impossible. A two-thirds majority of states can also call a constitutional convention to consider making all or part of the provisions of the bill unconstitutional (although that is a distinct long-shot).
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, we need to oust Obama in 2012.
Raise taxes ruinouosly OR repudiate our debt? This thing will result in both. This monstrous, unaffordable POS is coming on top of already unaffordable spending and unfunded committments on the part of the Federal government, not to mention the states. The US of A is turning into a banana repuclic before our very eyes. We'll have Argentine repudiations on top of European level taxes and, if things don't work out, Zimbabwean hyperinflation for icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteQuoted from and Linked to at:
ReplyDeleteDEFCON 1: 'What Comes Next? We Fight.'
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It's Time To ROC 'N' ROLL:
Restore Our Constitution & Restore Our Lost Liberties
WOLVERINES!