The Drawing of Lines

When I started this blog, it was a matter of having serious discussion on things, with some fun thrown in there to take the dryness out of the boredom that endless discussion on economic crap inevitably creates.  And a part of that was the Asshat of the Week, which was a fun mocking of whichever politician or public figure needed mocking, all party, ideological, or philosophical leanings aside.  Because almost everybody is an asshat at some point in their lives, and deserves to be mocked.  I even had an AOTW I was leaning toward this week.

But something snapped a little in my head when the House rammed through the government takeover of health care (not a major sign of issues, because I ain't been right since the Catholic school years anyway), and I find myself agreeing more with some of the asshats on the right, even when I can intellectually see their asshattery (Micheal Savage's Wiener Nation isn't sounding too angry right now, for example). So since I'm feeling a need to stand on one side of the line due to the rush to collectivism (as opposed to the creep of prior years), I'm shelving the AOTW until such time as I can honestly judge when people of both sides need a bitch slapping.

Not that I won't smack around the occasional wingnut when they slide into kookitude, but it's really not a priority when fighting for the soul of the country.

And the government takeover of health care (it's sure as shit NOT reform, even if there are a few reforms dusted on the monstrosity as an attempt to frame it as a "bipartisan" despite the only bipartisanship being the opposition) is only the clearest example of a divide between those who seek a perpetually intrusive Imperial government and those who trust the government little and want to see it pared down to sanity.  I don't think I need to explain which side I'm on here.

Neither does this brave doctor:

A nice sentiment, and he says he's not asking people their political leanings or refusing to treat the fools who voted for "change."  Good for him.

On a side note, I have had to take two children to the doctor in the past week (earache last week, pinkeye today), and unsurprisingly, they've added more regulations.  This is an annoying little one where I have to produce an ID to "protect against identity theft" since my doctor (or CNP) wouldn't know me or my children at all (maybe she doesn't, but why not?!?!?!?).  But it's the picking of nits like this, as well as things like the whole HIPPA paperwork cluster (30 pages with a dozen signatures or so) that convinced me that the fastest way to complicate medicine to the ridiculous (and add assloads of cost) is to let bureaucrats try to "fix" any issues (and oh, the tinkering they shall be doing in the name of fairness now).


Now another aspect that pushed me to the abandoning of my chronicle of asshattery and getting more on one side is that statements from the Democrats make me wonder about their motivations in cramming the takeover through. A perfect example would be the quote last week from Rep John Dingell(berry), where he talked about the process of getting the legislation in place to "control the people." I can't think of any spin that can justify that statement.

Add to that this statement from Rep Phil Hare who gets all the feeley shit (which has some validity) out, but doesn't care about the Constitution:



Anyone who gives a damn about limiting the power of government to control our lives (whether through oppressive laws or the soft tyranny of taxation) should be concerned, because the purpose of the Constitution is specifically to limit the power of the federal government to specific acts in the pursuit of the "loftier" goals.  In other words, if we throw out the restraints of the Constitution in pursuit of our goals (and before you liberals jump on me for the health care thing: the Patriot Act), it only means that the barrier that holds back the tide of government from drowning the individual springs hella-leaks.  And not the finger in the dike (as in dam, not the woman in comfortable shoes) type of leak, but the kind that start picking up house-crushing rocks.


The final piece of this puzzle is that the liberals don't want to debate the takeover law, the contents thereof, or any issue at this point, without either inserting one of the following phrases or ideas:

Teabaggers

The GOP and the Klan

reich-wing hate mongers

and so on, and so forth (I'm not listing all the shit I see)

When your political opponents can't debate on facts and ideas and have to revert to prepubescent name calling, fabricating incidents when they can't get them for real, and hunting down the inevitable kooks to make videos that they portray as the movement as a whole, you know that they know they've lost the argument and are trying to dazzle with diamonds and baffle with bullshit.

The fact is, I'd be at a TEA party rally or two speaking if it weren't for kids and my work hours and the fact I live in the middle of nowhere.  And I'd be part of the majority of them that are legitimately pissed, and intelligent and decently-educated, and respectful of the President and the country, but seeing the incessant march of legislation designed to strip power and responsibility and money from the individual to feed the unremitting shit demon that is government (and yes, it looks like the rubber poop monster on the left).

I've always tried to temper activism with some common sense, and successfully managed to piss off people on  both sides in the process.  Well, I'll keep doing that, but don't be surprised if I don't let bullshit comments stand without proper retort.  And there will always be a retort.  A retort of someone who sees no future for himself, or for his kids, until the insanity of both parties (but especially the Democrats) in growing the government is brought under control and we begin something that hasn't happened in the history of this country:  the shrinking of the Imperial Federal Government.  To that end, it is incumbent on everyone who gives a damn to fight against ANY expansion of ANY government program (including inflation increases).  Period.  It's really the only way now.


Finally (and to take the piss out of myself), I ran across this somewhere (I forget now, so no nod), and I thought it quite cute (BABIES!!!!!!) and relevant (because fine print (especially in the regs written to support thousands of pages of congressional bills pisses babies off):