Today, we are no longer any kind of representative Republic. We can say, as Conservatives, that we hate what has happened — but what have we learned?
“We need to defeat these bastards. We need to wipe them out. We need to elect Conservatives. Then we repeal this bill. Just saying ‘repeal’ does not make it happen. We must show up en masse in November. You can see the Constitution will not stop them. They must, my friends, be hounded out of office, every single Democrat who voted for this. We now have Leftist Radicals in charge of your healthcare rather than doctors.” -Rush Limbaugh, 3-22-10
Here is the first (but not final) step towards a solution that I suggest would help to repair both sides of the aisle:
Congressional Reform Act of 2010
1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
A. Two Six year Senate terms
B. Six Two year House terms
C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms
2. No Tenure / No Pension:
A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress looses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/11 .
Only when every elected and appointed official serves directly under the same system and must abide by the same rules as created by themselves — will they begin to understand the ramifications and consequences of their actions.
And trust me when I tell you that the GOP is — in many ways — every bit as responsible for our current plight as the Demorats.
Ladies and Gentlemen, pick and choose your individual donations. I recommend you do NOT give ANY more money to larger Republican entities such as the RNC. They do not understand. They are not Conservative.
This has to be the dawn of a new day on both sides of the aisle.
BZ
THE TRUTH: The ultimate goal of ObakaKare is and always was a complete takeover and ultimate control of your personal healthcare:
Oh people, just wait until you do your taxes next year. . .
BZ
No joke…
Now that HealthCare is FREE, we’re going to see what it REALLY costs!
“Free.” You’re right, TF. “Free.” Some people think there are actual “free” things in Life.
“Free” will be saddled onto the back of the Amerikan Taxpayer.
In Federalist #10: “Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” The separation of powers.
BZ
So your point is? Yes, Obama said several years ago that he favored single payer. BFD. He then realized that that is impossible in today’s political climate and COMPROMISED. Republicans ought to try that sometime. Actually NEGOTIATING IN GOOD FAITH. Politics is the art of give and take. To get something you want you’ve got to give the other guy something he wants. It’s just that simple. Dems wanted to get universal healthcare. Insurance companies wanted it to be through them and not put them out of business. It’s a third way. Win win instead of winner take all. In a few years everybody will forget this bickering and enjoy the fact that nearly everybody can see a doctor when ill.
BTW, term limits have created a completely disfunctional government in Michigan. At first I thought that they were a good idea and voted for them. But they have created hyper partisanship and the lobbyists have even more influence.
Tim: I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all. What part of “we can’t afford it” does anyone NOT get? We can’t afford it!
Much less all the other pap, I object to ObakaKare for THAT primary reason!
“Somebody else is going to pay for my health insurance. How wonderful!”
People: that “somebody else” is YOU.
BZ
BZ- If you were a young man who is still feeling invulnerable and going without insurance I’d agree. The Gen Y’s are not paying into the system now. Once they gat coverage that enlarges the risk pool so that old geezers like us get cheaper coverage. It’s private insurance. The government has taken over NOTHING. They are merely adding new regulations to the industry and requiring more younger, healthy people to get a policy. It’s really quite republican. There is no public option. I think in five years you’ll hardly notice it at all on a personal level. We can afford it. If we can afford Iraq, we can afford this. And really, if they jack up taxes on the wealthy it’s pay back for the 30 years of cuts. They will be slight in nature and hardly punitive.
Tim, I couldn’t disagree more vehemently. We can’t afford it, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Obaka’s societal reforms, all of which will be placed onto the backs of taxpayers. You’re going to find both doctors and nurses leaving the profession at the same time that more persons are being placed into coverage. Reimbursements will shrink. Individual businesses in the arena will refuse to put up with smaller reimbursements because their job is NOT to lose profit. This will in turn provide a wonderful opportunity for Obaka to take control of more private businesses, first in healthcare then in many other arenas. I find it difficult to think that you can be this blind.
BZ
Health Care is ‘free’ TexasFred?
Dear BZ,
I believe the first one is going to take a Constitutional Amendment.
I’m totally there from 3 through 7.
Not a conservative, but a moderate,
Ann T. Hathaway
Dear BZ, TXFred, Milepost, and Tim,
Tim, we can’t afford the Iraq war either. Right now we can’t afford anything.
We are running on tick. This slows down our ability to react to small pitfalls such as, oh, recession and bank failure, foreign aggression, and inadequate infrastructure.
However you feel about the health care bill, the government has taken on the burden of making sure the rest of us get health insurance and so forth. Our government doesn’t get anything from it. The insurance companies and various other market cartels are going to do very well. So will some of their investors.
I don’t think this battle went as framed by BZ or Obama anyone. It was a move of market actors to ensure stability as the baby boomers age and health costs skyrocket. The pols did all the yelling and the markets won.
As consumers, we will work this out, but as taxpayers we’re in bad shape.
Ann T.
Conservative columnist David Frum writes:
“So today’s defeat for free-market economics and Republican values is a huge win for the conservative entertainment industry. Their listeners and viewers will now be even more enraged, even more frustrated, even more disappointed in everybody except the responsibility-free talkers on television and radio. For them, it’s mission accomplished. For the cause they purport to represent, it’s Waterloo all right: ours.”
http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo
First, find a deserving candidate in your congressional district and not the incumbent. Second, put your cash and your ass on the line to get them elected. Same story if you are electing a Senator this year.
Ann, Tim: I suppose we’ll all find out where this goes, won’t we? Because, after all, everyone loves how the fed runs Medicare, Medicaid, VA hospitals, social security, the post office. Can you name ONE thing the fed does brain-glazingly well?
I can.
BZ
BZ – That’s exactly why voting Republican is a self fulfilling prophecy. Republicans don’t believe government can do anything right, so when they have power nothing is done well. Look at Katrina. Let’s see: defeated Hitler, won the Cold War, built the interstate highway system, the railroads, ton of other stuff. Yes private industry did the actual constructing,as the government commissioned and directed. Look at your profession. Do you want to get rid of police and hire your own security? Your own fire department?
Dear BZ,
I don’t feel linked to Tim on this, I don’t know why you think I am. In fact I agreed with you that we can’t afford it.
I do think markets won. I think the politicians lost. I wish you’d take another look at what I wrote.
Ann T.
There is a problem with the concept of a kind, equal and just medical system from the federal government: 16,500 IRS agents to ensure that each and every American complies each and every month. That puts your health care into the position of having to go through Tax Court… the least representative, least accountable, most punishing court system in the US. If you are rich, powerful or well-connected you can get away with anything and the IRS won’t bother you: just look at Tim Geithner and Charlie Rangel.
Your average American is considered guilty until he or she can prove themselves innocent. And I can’t remember the last time anyone successfully sued the IRS in Tax Court.
Do spare me all the good ‘no everyone will get health care’ deal. You don’t mean it, otherwise YOU would be up in arms against the IRS running the thing. This is the same agency that can’t give you the same answer on a moderately complex tax question if you ask them in different offices within a week. No one trusts the IRS and it is the most feared and hated of all the courts Congress set up… most of it under Woodrow Wilson.
If you cannot see the illogic of having the IRS run this system at the head and punishing end, then you have got an extreme problem. Bad enough if it was run by the overworked, under-efficient HHS. Americans do not deserve even that, they get a say but far later in the system and even then they get to use the IRS to go after you if you do not comply with their wishes.
When I hear ‘how good this will all be, health care for everyone’ I will immediately think of an IRS agent coming around to ensure that you comply with the law… and they assume you aren’t and are ready to repo anything you own as a penalty. And heaven help you if you appeal as the federal courts haven’t helped the average citizen against the tax courts in decades.
Good job on being nice to everyone! Just look at the sweet people ready to make sure you comply with being nice in the officially approved way with your money…you wanted to make everyone get the same health care? You have just achieved that: it will be equally horrible to all and repressive beyond anything a mere corporation can devise. The IRS is good at that.
Hey Blo . . . This is one terrific blog essay. Please keep them coming. Nothing is free. Why does our gov’t not understand this?
You might want to look in on:
http://politicsconservativebump.blogspot.com/2010/03/obamacare-arrives.html
Dixon
Tim: don’t laugh buddy, that’s coming.
BZ
What needs to be done will not be done because Bonny and Clyde are guarding the bank and Jack the Ripper is guarding the women. There will be no correction in this mess until the people have the power to directly amend the Constitution. I don’t see how that is ever going to happen.