Over the past half century, I have watched the increasing momentum toward the centralization of money and power in Washington, DC. When people think of “the government,” they rarely think of anything other than the central government.
As the influence of the central government has increased, this land has gradually ceased to be the America my patriot forefathers fought and died for in the 1770s. I can’t say when it died, but the corpse has putrefied. The only region which has a chance of hanging onto the virtues of patriotism is the South.
While the other regions embrace the Columbian Empire, the sovereign States of the South will resist.
Bill Cawthon, a friend and League member from Alabama, has provided some statistics and analysis of the US House vote on ObamaCare.
Every Southern State voted against ObamaCare. Not only that, in every Southern State the Congressional House delegation voted against this major Health Care Reform by landslide proportions (a classic landslide is 60%). See the complete report here.
Tennessee’s Congressional delegation has four Republicans and five Democrats, yet they voted 6 to 3 against ObamaCare. Review Mr. Cawthon’s report and you will see that Tennessee has little in common with the Empire.
Most of us do not grasp the full consequences of the Empire’s passionate desire to provide “comprehensive health care” for every citizen.
All statists envision the civil government as god. There are thus certain attributes of God which the state must exhibit.
The Columbian Empire, in order to be god, must be the arbiter of life and death. It must also be the source of all knowledge and wisdom. It must be all powerful (omnipotent), and all knowing (omniscient), and entwined into every area of our lives (omnipresent).
We are told that in the Garden of Eden, “out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” and that “the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
From the very beginning, God established Himself as the only arbiter of life and death.
God emphasized His status as health provider to the Israelites in the wilderness, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”
If that wasn’t enough, as they gathered to go into the Promised Land, God speaks, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”
The Empire seeks to cloud the issue of health and life and death by showing that it can provide “insurance” against any health catastrophe. Be aware and be warned, the Empire can “insure,” it can guarantee nothing.
While we might hope for an ever-lasting youth and vigour in the here and now, it is just not possible… and no government agency or program can make it happen.
I am reminded of a novella entitled, The Children’s Story. Written by James Clavell (author of Shogun and To Sir With Love, as well as the screenplay forThe Great Escape), it was originally published in the Ladies Home Journal, October 1963. In the early 1980s, a real-time (60 minutes) version was filmed an broadcast on television.
The Children’s Story relates the ease with which ideas and ideologies may be pressed upon young children. In one hour, their allegiances and faith are moved from truth to the allegiances and faith of their manipulators. It may take longer with adults, but the manipulation is no less sure.
For generations, the builders of civilization on this continent have relied upon the Lord god Almighty for their strength and for Truth. We have hewn out of the wilderness farms, and factories, and great cities. Our strength has been our confidence in the care and direction of Providence. To depart from such will be our destruction.
The “Health Care Debate” continues to dominate the press, the politicians, and the public. We are inundated with opinion polls, charts, and commentaries.
To a crowd of white-coated doctors and nurses in the East Room, Emperor Obama said, “At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem.” If I have a problem getting health care, if I have a problem getting insurance, it is my problem! Who told him that he had to solve my problem? I didn’t!
To the politicians of his party, the Emperor urged, "I do not know how this plays politically, but I know it's right…Let's get it done." OLD JOKE – How do we know when a politician is lying? ANSWER: Their mouth is moving. Obama knows exactly how everything is playing politically. He doesn’t move without knowing what the opinion polls have said. Secondly, how does he know “it’s right?”
I will repeat the quotation from Bastiat in my last post.
You say: “There are persons who have no money,” and you turn to the law. But the law is not a breast that fills itself with milk. Nor are the lacteal veins of the law supplied with milk from a source outside the society. Nothing can enter the public treasury for the benefit of one citizen or one class unless other citizens and other classes have been forced to send it in. If every person draws from the treasury the amount that he has put in it, it is true that the law then plunders nobody. But this procedure does nothing for the persons who have no money. It does not promote equality of income. The law can be an instrument of equalization only as it takes from some persons and gives to other persons. When the law does this, it is an instrument of plunder.
The U.S. Constitution does not give the federal government any authority over health care. The Constitution gives “enumerated powers,” meaning, “if it doesn’t mention it, it doesn’t exist,” PERIOD. While taking care of the feeble and infirm is commendable, it is not the task of the government. Government can only do it if they first steal the money from you!
When the Republicans mention an alternative, pared down, less expensive version of health care reform, they are violating their oath of office just as much as the Democrats. There are NO innocents in the capitol. They are all minions of the Empire!
Tennessee needs to be free of it all. We need a Tennessee Nation.
There is a certain sense of security which floods my soul when the politicians are out of town. Emperor Obama is on vacation and the Empirical Congress is in recess.
In State capital cities across the continent, trouble is brewing for the Emperor’s proposition for socialized health care. It seems that the back-room deals cut in order to bribe enough Senators to vote for the monster is beginning to back-fire. Grass fires are starting out in the hinterland!
Thirteen Republican attorneys general AND one Democrat attorney general (Oklahoma’s Drew Edmondson) are warning the Empire’s leadership (LOL) of legal action if the legislation is approved “as is.”
Article II, Section 9 of the US Constitution reads in part, “No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another…” All states are to be treated equally under law, just as all citizens are to be treated equally under law. Providing a “special deal” to one or any number of states in deference to the others is a violation of the Constitution.
Here in Tennessee, Representatives Susan Lynn of Mt. Juliet and Debra Maggart of Hendersonville have met with Tennessee’s Attorney General Bob Cooper and urged him to join the challenge. Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey has also urged Cooper to explore a suit challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform bill. Cooper remains unmoved and unlikely to take up the cause of Tennesseans.
Why is Cooper so reluctant? Possibly the biggest reason is that Tennessee’s Attorney General is NOT a servant of the people. He is appointed by the three judges of our Supreme Court. Our constitution need to be changed so that the citizens elect the one who is supposed to stand up for them in the courts.
Without a legal challenge in the courts, our elected representatives in the Tennessee legislature are our only hope for fairness and equality under law. The “Tenth Amendment” issues are going to continue to pile up. We will need to support those who are fighting for us.
There are a few good people serving us who will make this a Free Tennessee.
In the current debate/uproar about health care “reform” the most significant of questions has not been asked. Why must the Empire’s officials do anything?
In our personal lives, when we do something which is not providing the proper results, we know that we have two possible responses – change what we’re doing or stop doing it all together. But somehow, when it comes to government, logic and proven practice flies out the window.
Whenever the United States government gets involved outside of its biblically appointed role of punishing the evil-doer, it screws things up. Every area of finance, be it banking, farming, or manufacturing has been hindered and hurt by Washington’s interference. Every area of the family’s domain, education, health care, or caring for the elderly has been complicated by rules and regulations which impede rather than help. The Empire needs to stop!
As an educator, I take specific offense with the national educational bureaucracy. Every few years, there is a new initiative designed to do things better and to make sure the Johnny can read. The initiative fails and the know-nothings in Washington insist that the problem was simply that they were not given enough money. So next time, more money! (to fail again) The Empire needs to stop!
The Southern National Congress recently met for their Second Session at Delta, Alabama. The delegates approved a “Remonstrance and Petition for a Redress of Grievances” on Health Care. It reads in part, (entire document here)
American medicine has become a massively regulated, subsidized, and centralized industry, resulting in structural distortions, misallocation of scarce resources, and bureaucratic impediments to the delivery of quality care...
Government exploits the crisis of high medical cost which it created as a pretext to buy votes and assure incumbency. Its current initiative to nationalize the entire system of United States medical care continues the Regime’s process toward Statist control.
The majority of the Democratic Party is pushing for a massive infusion of money into health care. The majority of the Republican Party is pushing for a slightly less massive infusion of money into health care. Both Parties are in collusion. Nearly every Congressman and Senator is vying for your vote with the money they have stolen from your pockets. The Empire needs to stop!
The Columbian Empire is so bloated by its own excesses that even reasonable thinking people lose all perspective once they cross the Potomac into Washington. Tennesseans do not need the kind of oppressive regulation health care reform is going to bring, no one need it. The Empire needs to stop!
Tennessee needs to be free of the Empire centered in the District of Columbia.
