Why does change taste so bitter?

Louis DeBrouxThe Daily Tribune-News, CartersvilleSo this is what change tastes like … pretty much the same as what we were being fed before, except more bitter and by force; like castor oil, except it makes us worse, not better.At nearly 11 p.m. on Sunday, March 21, 2010, the House passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the culmination of generations worth of liberal ideological dreams, a year of contentious debate, and months worth of open bribery, extortion, arm-twisting, vote-buying and the use of arcane parliamentary tactics such as reconciliation and “deem-and-pass”, all in order to pass a bill that no one had a clue would end up looking like when it was signed. Why? Because the bill that was signed is not the one that will be implemented. That comes with the passage of the Senate amendments to make the House Democrats happy.Why would so much time and effort be put into passing a bill that became more unpopular the longer it was in the public eye? Quite simply, because it is not about health care, it is about power. Power of one-sixth of the American economy, which conveys an enormous amount of influence for those charged with allocating those resources and privileges, and power over the health (and therefore life and death) decisions of over 300 million people.President Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi both came into power campaigning on a promise to end the Republican “culture of corruption” in Washington. Instead they doubled down. They promised us the most ethical and transparent Congress and administration in history. They promised debates on major legislation would be broadcast on C-SPAN, and that everything would be out in the open. They promised us a new way of doing business in Washington. We have a new way, alright … the Chicago way. Al Capone would be proud.As much pressure as was exerted to get this bill passed, it is indicative of just how bad the bill is that it only passed with 220 votes. Despite Democrats holding massive majorities, they could not convince more than three dozen Democrats to fall on their swords for the party and vote for this abomination (or Obamination?). The net result is a highly partisan bill that has stoked outraged around the country at Democrat hubris, and which will likely lead to an even larger slaughter at the polls than was previously anticipated.Why are people so outraged at a new law that will supposedly save huge amounts of money and millions of lives? Well, they understand intuitively that it will do no such thing, and that it is a violation of, and intrusion upon the Constitutional rights and individual sovereignty of American citizens. Never before has the Congress demanded that individuals purchase a product from a private entity for the sole reason that they are alive. Congressman and senior Democrat John Dingell inadvertently uttered the truth a few days ago. When asked why it would take so long for the benefits to kick in, he replied that it takes a while to get the bureaucracy in place to CONTROL 300 million people. That, my friends, is the real goal behind Democrat efforts.The bill that was signed into law was the Senate version, the one with the Louisiana Purchase, the Cornhusker Kickback, GatorAid, giveaways to labor unions and all of the other vile deals that were made to ensure passage. Some Democrats are more up front about their nefarious workings. Pelosi was not kidding when she said the bill would have to be passed to see what is in it. Rep. Alcee Hastings, referring to Democrat efforts to pass the final bill without having to actually cast a vote that would hurt them in November, brazenly proclaimed that the Democrats can do what they want, and that they make the rules up as they go along. Even with all that it still required Pelosi to hold the House members in Washington until the bill passed so that they would not be influenced by angry constituents. Bart Stupak sold his vote for a promise, in the form of a worthless executive order (worthless because the order does not supersede law, can be rescinded at any time by the stroke of a pen, and most importantly, worthless because it was issued by a president that will say anything to get what he wants and is deathly allergic to the truth).Upon passage of the bill there was glee on Capitol Hill among Democrats but outrage across the country. Princess Pelosi crowed that Democrats had just joined those who had established Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Considering that these programs are facing imminent bankruptcy, it is hard to fathom why she would brag about that. The passage of this bill will also add an estimated 16,500 I.R.S. agents. It is unknown at this time whether they are being hired to enforce tax provisions or perform medical services (no one is more efficient at cavity searches than IRS agents). Immediately after passage of the bill, President Obama announced that he will be going on tour to promote the bill (I assume to try and minimize the beating Democrats will take in November). My guess is that the American people aren’t buying into the hype and the lies. After all, if the bill is so good, then why are the president and his staff, members of Congress and their senior staffs and families all exempt from the terms of the bill? Why are they the only ones that get to keep their existing, gold-plated policies?Over three dozen states have already filed suit against enforcement of the unconstitutional provisions of the bill, and if Republicans regain majority in the House they can block funding of enforcement. Obama, signing the bill, said the long fight for health care is over. No, Mr. President, it’s just getting started.