Well, Which Is It?

Having just announced that they will hear arguments for and against Obamacare, the Supreme Court is tackling the important issue of the future of health care in this country.  

There is duplicity evident in many of the actions of the Obama administration.  On the one hand, they argue that access to health care is a "right" and on this basis, they push the idea of government-provided health care for one and all.  

On the other hand, Obama appoints men to head Medicare/Medicaid and the Social Security Advisory Board who clearly and openly favor health care rationing.  If you believe that every person has a "right" to health care, how do you then decide that one person has more of a right to it than another?  Are some people more equal than others? How does one measure the value of a human life?  

It's obvious to any clear-thinking person that if the government provides your health care, rationing will be a necessity.  Aside from the question of the constitutionality of portions of Obamacare, do you really want a governmental bureaucrat to decide if you are to receive or be denied necessary medical care?  

MSNBC Gets Crazier

Well, I hear that MSNBC analyst Karen Finney says that Republicans like Herman Cain because he's a "black man who knows his place" and we're trying to show we're not racist.  


Excuse me, Karen, but conservatives don't look at a candidate's skin color; we judge him or her on positions he or she puts forth.  We certainly don't have to prove to ourselves, or anyone else for that matter, that we're not racist.  We know we're not.


Democrats consistently accuse Republicans of things that they themselves do.  One of the main reasons Obama was elected is because liberals were swooning over the opportunity to demonstrate how tolerant they are and to prove (to themselves?) that they aren't racist.  


I think one of the main reasons people are attracted to Herman Cain is because he's not afraid to say what he thinks and we largely agree with his opinions.  Why is that so hard for liberals to grasp?  

Jobs?

Obama and the congressional Democrats are trying to convince us that they're focused on jobs, jobs, jobs.  They complain that Republicans aren't interested in "creating jobs".  

The Democrats have it bass-ackwards, as usual.  We need jobs in the private sector and the government cannot create those jobs.  Employers don't hire people to get tax credits, as the president seems to think.  They hire people because their business is growing and they need more employees to handle it.  Likewise, jobs don't grow the economy; it's the other way around.  The growth of the economy is what creates jobs.  

The best thing the government can do at this point is to just get out of the way. Quit trying to regulate the life out of businesses, ease the tax burdens on employers and watch the economy grow.  In other words, butt out!

The Democrats' 4H Club

There is certainly a lot of heated rhetoric flying about these days.  While this occurs on both ends of the political spectrum, the Democrats have taken it to new heights.  


The 4H club of the Democrats consists of four prongs:  hyperbole, histrionics, hypocrisy and hatefulness.  Some of the Democrats seem completely out of their minds, as they recklessly throw charges of racism and murderous intent around.   The tea party seems to have driven them crazy and as they see their power slipping away, the Dems have responded with over-the-top accusations that simply diminish their credibility. Mad Maxine Waters and crazed congressman Carson are but two of the more prominent Democrats out there spewing their demented rants while trying to stir up passion in their constituents.  So much for civility.  


President Obama, if he were any kind of leader, could and would put the damper on all this nonsense.  I believe these people are spewing their ridiculous rants because they have the tacit approval of the president.  Barack Obama - the most divisive president of my lifetime.    

Obama the Unconquerable?

Things look pretty bleak right now for the president.  The economy continues to stagger, the stock market is in the toilet, the unemployment rate stubbornly refuses to come down and the president's approval rating is sinking into George Bush territory.  If things stay like this, it's hard for me to see how he could be re-elected.


I've been to several Tea Party rallies in the past and when the Tea Party first arose, I felt it was in line with my beliefs.  However, lately I've been feeling alienated from it, starting with the debt ceiling wrangling.  The Tea Party was, in my opinion, unrealistic to think that sweeping changes could be made with Republicans only holding the House.  We didn't get into this mess overnight and we won't be able to clean it up quickly either. 


A few months ago Indiana governor Mitch Daniels said that in order to win in 2012, Republicans need more than just the people who listen to Rush Limbaugh.  Limbaugh, of course, took offense at this and, in a bombastic distortion, claimed that Daniels was saying that conservatives were irrelevant.  That's not at all what Daniels was claiming and I think he made a valid point.  The Tea Party and other conservatives need to remember that while conservatives are necessary for a Republican win in 2012, they are not sufficient.  We must remember those voters who don't necessarily identify with a political party - yes, those voters that Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives hold in such contempt, the independents.  


I hope the poor economy and Obama's sinking ratings don't lead Republican primary voters to think they can nominate a hardcore candidate.  We don't need a replay of the Christine O'Donnell or Sharron Angle fiasco.  

Positive vs. Negative

There are those who think Obama will be difficult to beat in 2012.  The field of GOP candidates is far from stellar, but what tack should the eventual candidate take in the campaign?

The economy is anemic and teetering, millions of people are unemployed and the  future doesn't look especially bright, which is exactly why the Republicans need to be upbeat, optimistic and encouraging.  Obama believes the United States is not an exceptional country and apparently has little faith in Americans.  He sees America as a country in permanent decline and thinks our best days are behind us.  If a Republican candidate will get up and speak of the exceptional nature of our great country and its people, offer a plan to get us back on track as the world leader we still are and bring hope to people, it will be a wonderful contrast to the pessimistic scolding of Barack Obama.  Don't focus on "shared sacrifice" or austerity; put the spotlight on how we can pull ourselves out of the doldrums in which we find ourselves.  Obama seems content to settle for living in those doldrums.  I, for one, am not.  

The Food Nazis

Michelle Obama and her minions of food police are busily trying to manage everyone's eating habits, especially those of children.  McDonald's is shrewdly trying to stay ahead of the regulation curve by downsizing the portion of french fries in a Happy Meal and substituting apple slices (won't those apples have to have some kind of preservative on them to prevent their turning brown? Horrors - I'm sure they'll devise some kind of regulation for this too).  

Having worked in the health/fitness field for 16 years, mainly in corporate wellness programs, I feel at least somewhat qualified to comment on this.  What I quickly learned when I started working in the field is that you can educate people, give them the information they need to make good choices, help them develop strategies to incorporate healthy habits into their lives, but you can't force them to actually make changes.  The simple truth is that this is a personal responsibility and the majority of people simply are not willing to make changes in their eating and exercise habits.  

Aside from that fact, it is the job of parents, not the government, to monitor and control what their children eat.  I saw a woman the other night on the news who wants to stop McDonald's and other fast food restaurants from marketing to children.  You see, this makes her children ask her to go there, and she's forced to say "No" and she hates saying no to her children.  Well, grow up, lady, and be your children's mother, not their friend.  

This out of control government of ours is usurping responsibilities and intruding more and more into our lives.  Wake up, people, and take responsibility for your own choices.  Quit relying on government, or pretty soon  you'll find you don't have any choices.