Posted by Diogenes Sarcastica
Watching closely our governing processes, particularly these last few months, it raises serious questions prompted by the almost incomprehensible behaviour of the country’s three most visible leaders as well as a fair number of members of Congress and administration officials. Are the leaders of our country so far out of touch with the mood of the electorate? Has one party rule so corrupted our law makers? Has the narcissism of the president infected the entire democrat leadership? Do the democrats sincerely have a political death wish?
President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Reid and House Speaker Pelosi seem either unable to understand that Americans are not in favor of their idea of government controlled health care , or they simply do not care what the people think.Recent nationwide polls reflect the mood of the country plainly:
A CBS News/New York Times Poll conducted in February concluded that the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country (52 percent) while health care reform garnered only 13 percent.
The left wing Daily Kos poll conducted by Research 2000 early this month found 39 percent believed the country was headed in the right direction, but 60 percent said the wrong direction.
But perhaps the most telling of all is the Gallup Poll from March 4-7, which asked, “In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?” Nearly four to one, Americans are dissatisfied (79 percent to 19 percent).
These polls reflect ever growing dissatisfaction with the country’s direction, fueled not only by a dangerously intrusive and unpopular health care reform effort, but by increasingly over reaching and intrusive government, and out of control spending. With the political left unusually silent, congressional leaders ignore this outrage, still obsessed with jamming through health care reform. Not only does the public not like the reform bills, many senators and representatives don’t like them, either.
The Senate bill needed 60 votes to pass and it took Majority Leader Reid buying votes with sweet deals for a few key members to get 60 votes, and the House bill passed with only two votes more than needed.
Some don’t like public funding of abortions, and thus don’t support the bill, and others don’t support it because it doesn’t have a public option. All in all, there’s enough stuff in the bill, and enough stuff that’s left out of the bill, that the 216 votes needed in the House for final passage may not materialise.
Undaunted by the lack of popular and legislative support for the bill, Ms. Pelosi may now resort to a scheme referred to as the “Slaughter Solution,” an act of desperation that is said to be unprecedented in U.S. history and probably unconstitutional.
Here are more serious questions to ponder: Is a bill that has the support of only one party a good piece of legislation? Isn’t good legislation that which has a broad and substantial majority of support? Did we elect these people to enact partisan legislation? And, is that the best way to run the country?
In spite of negative poll numbers, in spite of crumbling support in both houses of Congress, President Obama, Mr. Reid, and Ms. Pelosi charge ahead to force health care reform through, apparently at any cost. This behavior defies common sense. These three individuals seem determined to increase the size and authority of government, even if they take themselves and their party down in the process. Their ideology is sharply at odds with America’s founding principles and is contrary to what the American people want from their public servants, but it is controlling so much of what is happening in Washington today.
What drives them so intensely toward a possible date with the political gallows?
