…nothing contributes so much to tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose… — from Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein
On May 21, 2003, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution extolling the historic importance of the Ford Motor Company. It lavishly lauded the ingenuity and innovation of Ford in more than 2 dozen paragraphs, such as this one:
Whereas [Ford’s] innovation continued through the 1990s with the debut in 1993 of the Ford Mondeo, European Car of the Year, the redesigned 1994 Ford Mustang, and the introduction in 1990 of the Ford Explorer, which defined the sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment and remains the best selling SUV in the world; — House Resolution 100
As a satisfied Ford Explorer owner and proud citizen, I fairly burst with pride to see my Congress involving itself in such momentous matters. Other historic resolutions from that Congress praised the Messiah College men’s soccer team, urged men to be better fathers, recognized “the importance of sports in fostering the leadership ability and success of women,” and ordered the commissioning of postage stamps honoring autism, farm women and Texas freedom fighter Juan Nepomuceno Seguin.
With 435 members representing the 50 states and caucusing in dozens of political interest groups, the House of Representatives is a fever swamp for wacky legislation.
So it’s not surprising that my local congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, a smart business woman who should know better, rushed to pass the “Affordable Health Care for America Act.” If Congress was required to be as truthful about its bills as Kellogg’s has to be about Corn Flakes, that misleading title alone would have been enough to kill the thing.
This is a bill that pretends to solve health care problems by taking away consumer freedom of choice, massively adding to the federal debt, and creating over 100 new government bodies that will stand between my doctor and me.
Fortunately, cooler and wiser heads reside in the US Senate, a more thoughtful legislative body that requires a 60-vote threshold to pass its own legislation. Their bill is being held up at present by 3 Democratic senators who are unhappy with various particulars. The Senate bill bears little resemblance to the House bill in the details, but still manages to restrict freedom, blow up the debt, and create a Washington-centric approach to health care planning.
When the Senate finally passes their bill — and I’m confident Harry Reid will find the right “incentives” to sway those 3 recalcitrant Senators — the House and Senate bills will be moved to a secret laboratory where they’ll be carved up and stitched together like so many decaying body parts stolen from cemeteries in the dead of night. Democratic mad scientists will then attach electrodes, stand back, and hit the thing with 1,000 volts.
And amid the stench of burning flesh, Obama’s monster will rise from the bloody table and stumble down the corridors of Congress, sending pages and interns screaming for safety.
It’s a story of blind political ambition, unprecedented hubris, and a love affair with Washington-imposed solutions to the problems of ordinary people. Gather your children and lock your doors — a monster is about to be loosed on an unsuspecting public.
