Rapid Reform

by Nathan S.–

In an unprecedented move, President Obama has now decided to tackle “Financial Regulatory Reform” even in the midst of the churning wake left by Obamacare. Wait a second, did I say unprecedented? Aw, shucks folks, we know better than that!

It seems that, even though Rasmussen has 55% of Americans not only opposing the Health Care Bill but wanting a repeal (that’s a higher percentage of people who actually voted Obama into office in the first place), the most bloated administration since FDR is nowhere near done with its government wish-list; although, I’m sure the list is rather long considering that it took 12 years of Democrats sitting on the sidelines in a Republican-led House in order to come up with it in the first place.

This is why, after Nancy Pelosi with civility, integrity, and fiscal responsibility took back control of the House in 2007, one of the first things she did under the newly-appointed Obama-Pelosi-Reid Holy Trinity was to erase the Fairness Rules. The Fairness Rules, instituted in 1995, allowed the minority party in the House to have a voice in the way of proposing bills and offering amendments to pieces of legislation. It was instituted by the Republicans in 1995 specifically so that the Democrats could still participate in an open forum-style Congress.

Let me repeat that: The Republican majority established rules to give the Democratic minority a voice in the legislative process. They even went so far as to introduce term-limits for committee members and to ensure that all laws that apply to the country also apply to Congress.

By the way, do you know why the Democrats lost their 40 year control of the House back in 1995? Forget for a second the various scandals by certain House members, although those did play a large role (anyone remember ABSCAM?), the main reason was the lack of transparency in the legislative process which inevitably led to the abuse of taxpayer funds; i.e. pork-barrel spending. Does this sound familiar in 2010?

Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party with civility, integrity, and fiscal responsibility, after abolishing the Fairness Rules and silencing their minority opposition looked straight into the camera and said the Republicans are the “Party of No” and have nothing to offer the debate over Health Care.

See, this is a classic example of the Democrats’ modus operandi. They, first create a problem, then blame it on someone else, and then proclaim to know how to fix it; all the while remaining perfectly smug in the assumption that the average American is too ignorant to figure out what they’re really doing.

But that’s the point, isn’t it? Shove as much down the people’s throat as humanly possible, consequences be damned, because the Democrats’ wish-list is all that matters, not public support or opinion. We know that Immigration Reform and Cap-and-Trade are coming next; but I’m wondering what’s after that? Perhaps a “Mandatory Adult-Aid Program” that guarantees four years at a university, a government job, and a government-issued wife; and if you don’t like that, you get fined for up to 2% of your income or $2,250. At what point should the government get out of your business?

Democrats have made a lot of hay out of the “Party of No” slogan. But is it true the Republican Party has nothing to offer the debate on Health Care Reform or any other economic or social issue? Well, it depends on what you think “Republican” means. See, the one-sentence ad campaign against the opposition party actually befuddles the greater issue, which is this: Can conservatives bring a fiscally responsible option to the table? Because that’s what this is really about: Liberals (or more specifically Progressives) vs. Conservatives. Both spectrums exist in either party. This is why the Tea Party has turned their outrage on both political denominations; because the progressive ideologies in both parties have equally failed the American People.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t conservatives in the Republican Party with real ideas for change. For instance, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan’s Roadmap Plan 2.0 is the most coherent argument for a conservative restoration of America based on not only Health Care but Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and Tax Reform; and has already been vetted by the Congressional Budget Office.

As an Independent I reserve the right to question a government that seems hell-bent on forcing power-expansive policies onto a public in the middle of a recession and then soothing that public with wonderful little gems like, “… we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.”

Why doesn’t the dominant Party want us to know everything that they’re doing? Isn’t it possible that secrecy belies corrupt intent? For, as John F. Kennedy once said: “A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”

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