Light at the end of the tunnel

It is often said that the night is darkest just before the dawn, which while sounding trite also serves to remind us that nothing stays the same. And so it is with the ascension of Barack Obama to the position of Führer. Now that the short-lived honeymoon with the Anointed One is all but over and the purveyors of received wisdom have been proven wrong in their prediction that Obama would govern from the center, we can develop a game plan to bring about that “change” in Washington we all expected and which he has failed to deliver.

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First and foremost it is important for us to recognize that partisan politics no longer plays an important role in governing the nation, as both Republicans as well as Democrats are proving that the only thing important to them is to remain in power by whatever means necessary. There really isn’t much of a difference between what we call a Democrat and a Republican; Arlen Specter has provided the definitive proof of that. It is tempting to vilify the Democrats with their ultra-radical leftist legislative initiatives, ranging from a poorly conceived government imposed healthcare program to a crippling cap and tax environmental regime that, if it becomes law, will leave all Americans less prosperous. Fact is, when the Republicans were in Power under George W. Bush and fairly well owned both houses of Congress, they did not behave in a substantially different fashion from how the Democrats are behaving today. They spent more money than the Democrats before them and enlarged the pool of those dependent on the government. And true to form, they wound up being every bit as corrupt as any Democrat before or after them. George W. Bush’s advocacy for “compassionate conservatism” was a sham from day one in that it bought in to the liberal/Democrat slander that conservatives are by nature uncaring and intolerant. In fact nothing is further from the truth. On the whole, conservatives are on average 30% more generous in charitable donations than liberals. This despite the fact that conservatives on the whole tend to earn 6% less than liberals. Liberals (or let’s call them by their real name: progressives) are extremely generous so long as their generosity can be practiced using other people’s money. Arthur C. Brooks’ definitive book on the subject Who Really Cares: America’s Charity Divide—Who gives, Who Doesn’t and Why it matters is a real eye opener. It would explain why Mr. Obama is attempting to limit the tax deductibility of charitable donations, because such donations undermine the progressives’ efforts to create a permanent dependent class, which would create dynasties of voters forced to rely on government largesse. What’s so unique about the concept of “America” is that anyone can succeed beyond his or her wildest dreams through education and knowledge, hard work, self-reliance and most importantly, a sense of optimism. I know what I am talking about, given my own extremely modest roots. However, this overall attitude is anathema to the progessives’ narrative that only the government is capable of solving society’s problems precisely because it creates independent minded individuals who do not require the wisdom or guidance of the political class. What’s become evident during the past two decades is that politics in America has morphed into a one-size-fits-all power game where the distinctions between the two traditional parties have blurred to the point of nonexistence. That’s why I believe that the ascension of the Messiah to the Throne and the rout of the Republican Party last November was a good thing. It has so emboldened the Democrats that they frankly do not care what the voters think, hence their use of Mussolini-type tactics in “enacting” legislation. It’s why Chuck Schumer bragged about the voters not caring about Congress passing “porky” bills. It’s why John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, (whose politician wife, Monica is being investigated by Detroit police for stealing from taxpayers) said he didn’t read any of the bills he voted on because they contained thousands of pages. It’s why all the legislation that’s been passed within the last 18 months was passed with a crisis mentality. The idea that we need to hurry up and pass stimulus spending packages in the trillions of dollars by next Thursday, or increase the energy costs of all American families 30% by the end of the month, or deprive Americans of free choice in their own healthcare decisions and give that power to the government before the recess is preposterous, despite the argument that the country is in crisis. It is precisely because the country is in crisis that such legislation needs to be fully debated and carefully read (are you listening John Conyers?) before any resolution is passed. What has happened as a result of the Democrats taking total control of the US government is that it has awakened that vast number of Americans that are neither Democrats nor Republicans, but Americans who are concerned about the government overreaching its constitutional authority. And that is a good thing in that it’s bringing to the fore the fact that the nation’s career politicians care about only one thing; and that’s getting reelected. Next year’s mid-term congressional elections will in all likelihood see Washington get a facelift unlike anyone has ever imagined and control of the nation will return to where it belongs: the people.