Delayed gratification

Delayed gratification is the topic for today. It seems quite appropriate as the little ones anticipate Christmas morning, but I want to use the topic as a launching point for another (sigh) discussion of the massive (up to 2700 pages) Heathcare Reform Act. Consider that theoretically speaking there is no public option included in this latest version, and yet, they nevertheless manage to bring forth a bill that is more than twice the length of “Atlas Shrugged.” With that many pages and no public disclosure of the contents, one must assume that there is enough crap buried in the legislation to fertilize the entire African continent. We, our children, their children and generations as yet unborn will be unraveling the nuances and side-effects of this behemoth for decades. President Reagan once told a story of a young kid who got up on Christmas morning and found the room with the tree was full of horse manure. When his parents awoke and found him digging through the excrement, they asked little Johnny what he was doing. “There’s gotta be a pony in here somewhere!” the little guy exclaimed.


Regretfully, I suspect that we will never find the pony in this pile of crap, or if we do, it will be a dead horse by the time we uncover it. The last statement that I read regarding the implementation of this Trojan Horse was that the new taxes, the 111 new agencies or bureaus, and many of the restrictions and rules will be implemented next year (2010), but the “benefits” will not begin taking effect until 2014. Assumedly, the taxes collected would be earmarked and accumulated for the four-year start up period. I think I just spit up in my mouth. Right, Congress will allow billions of dollars to sit in an account without spending them. If you believe that, then you are a candidate for the Gullibility Hall of Fame. Back to delayed gratification…the benefits (if any) will be delayed, but the government desire for more to spend will be gratified. The politicians get the gold mine, and we get the shaft.

So what actions are available for short-circuiting this freedom-crushing legislative noose? Clearly the Republicans lack the power and the will to fight this thing. Even if they lack the votes to derail it, they should be dragging their heels while kicking and screaming. The Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, decided to play nice with Harry Reid and allow the vote for Thursday morning rather than Thursday evening as originally scheduled. Great, the senators will get home for Christmas while the people dig lumps of coal from their stockings. Because the Dems want this power grab, and the Repubs are too cowardly to shed blood to stop it, the next line of resistance is the states. At least seven states are considering relying on the Tenth Amendment and the Constitutional challenge embedded there to address some element of “nullification.”

Will a nullification strategy work? It didn’t work out too well for South Carolina in 1861, but there are more recent examples of states and localities that choose to consciously ignore federal heavy handedness. Several cities throughout the country have declared themselves to be “sanctuaries” for undocumented aliens. Other governmental entities have passed laws that contravene federal drug laws…such as medical marijuana. These local efforts have generated some sputtering from the feds, but as a rule have been allowed to stand without much federal resistance. To be effective against the healthcare monster, a significant number of states will have to band together to shut down the government express. To do it in a piece meal fashion would prove to be ineffective and fruitless.

Please comment or email:  cnpearl@woh.rr.com