YOU BREAK IT, YOU OWN IT

Some time back I was in a china shop and the sign on the wall said it all. You break it, you own it. That was very clear. There was no doubt that you had to be very careful with the goods as they would be your responsibility in the event you damaged them.

I use this analogy to describe what is happening today in the Congress. As of this writing they have finally persuaded, cajoled, and bought the necessary votes to pass their health care reform. So now to the analogy. Ever since Obama has been in office, he has blamed all of his troubles and all the troubles of the world on George Bush. The Congress has been his willing accomplice. From this day forward however, all the troubles of this country and the world for that matter, are on him and the Democrat Congress. You could say they have broken the china. They are passing a piece of legislation that is opposed by at least sixty per cent of the electorate and every Republican in the Senate. They have done this because they seem to believe that they know what is best for you. Today they own it. They cannot blame this on anyone else.

Some key things need to be discussed. First, almost no one truly knows what is in this reform bill. Harry Reid keeps saying that when we all find out what is in it, we will be happy. Wouldn't it make a little more sense to know the bill before it is voted on and becomes law? I have long commented on the need for reform, but I would never take any politician at his word. If this is such great legislation, publish the bill so everyone can read it. Let there be a real debate on its merits. Secondly, why are the Catholic Bishops so opposed to this bill? Ben Nelson assured us that abortions would not be funded by the government. Really? Apparently we are only going to know after the bill becomes law and then it will be too late. Finally, most legal scholars that I have heard are saying that this legislation would not stand the test of a lawsuit. Many of its reforms are unconstitutional.

But hey, who knows? Maybe Harry is right. Maybe we will be pleased with the result. Here is my problem. Even in the far out event that this legislation is good for America, (insert smirk here), I don't like the way it is being handled and passed. I want such major re-making of our country and its economy open to all who will have to pay for it. I don't want to have to wait until it is law to find out the quirks that were hidden from the American people.

And so it now appears that the bull, (Congress) has rumbled through the china shop and broken all the china. If that is the case, they truly own it. They own the result. They own the bankruptcy that could ensue. They own the outcry from seniors who will not be able to find doctors or hospitals that will treat them. They own the scorn from future generations who will be saddled with the debt.

There is one final ownership that will have to be borne by the Democrats. In 2010 when the votes are counted and Obama, Reid and Pelosi look up and find their majority has vanished, they will own that also. We will have new people hired to do the people's business. They will have a big job. Who knows how long it will take to restore this country to fiscal sanity? I truly pity those who will replace these big spending liberals. It is going to take a gargantuan effort to fix it.

Ron Scarbro December 21, 2009