Entitlement Syndrome

We see today that all of the organs of an incumbent government are being deployed in an attempt to distort or discredit the message implicit in the grassroots protests that seem to be occurring with increasing frequency at more and more town halls — held by members of Congress — across the country. Democrat or Republican, it’s obvious that people have questions about President Barack Obama’s plans for their health care.

What’s becoming increasingly clear, sad to say, is that many members of Congress, especially those from the Democratic party, seem to be unwilling to either discuss health care reform with their constituents — out of fear of incurring the wrath of the people who pay their salaries — or to even own up to which way they’re leaning when it comes to their vote on the reform bills that will be placed before the Congress come fall.

It’s also clear what weapons the supporters of ObamaCare intend to use against those who question the efficacy or moral rightness of a program that promises a vast intrusion on the personal liberties and freedoms of the average American. California Senator Barbara Boxer fired off a salvo earlier today, with her observation that those protesting the president’s health reform plan couldn’t be sincere, considering how “well-dressed” they were.

She's the Point Person Against Town Hall Protests?

The condescension and utter disregard for those less well-off than others drips from every word of her statement. She seems to be implying that those “well-dressed people” (do these people seem all that well-dressed?) are of the “hoi polloi,” given that Ms. Boxer’s and President Obama’s supporters obviously are either too poor or too addled in the head to be able to get the money necessary to buy themselves a polo shirt, khaki pants and a pair of Rockport penny loafers, which we all know are the first indicators that anti-ObamaCare protestors are just members of some Republican “rent a mob.”

This isn’t the first time in the very recent past that Ms. Boxer has condescended to those she perceives to be beneath her, though. The upbraiding she received from National Black Chamber of Commerce President Harry Alford still rings fresh in many ears.

But we think people like Senator Boxer, President Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and others who are so obsessed with the idea of universal health (meaning, basically, lessened availability and reduced choice) that they’re willing to obfuscate the effect such programs have on personal independence and a willingness to be self-reliant. Those two necessary elements (independence and self-reliance; let’s call them a “Culture of Free Enterprise”) are sadly lacking when it comes to something like ObamaCare.

Rather, what people like Boxer and others of her political persuasion aim to do is strengthen and grow the “anti-everything” version of free enterprise, which we’ll call the “Culture of Dependency.” By this, we mean reliance on government for every basic need. Indeed, from that initial reliance will arise dependency on the government for even the most trivial of needs. This dependency, rather than freeing and empowering people to perform to the best of their individual ability, keeps them enslaved by the bonds of an invisible yet all-too-real set of chains.

We Think the Book was Better

There is a parable making the rounds of the blogosphere lately. Entitled “The Professor Who Failed His Entire Class,” it is illustrative of what can occur when everybody is treated exactly the same way, and what the pernicious effects lack of personal responsibility and the elimination of merit as a deciding factor in promotion can mean. Here is an excerpt. The rest can be found here:

…The Professor decided that all grades would be averaged together and everyone would receive the same grade. No one would fail, but no one would receive an A either.

When the 3rd exam rolled around, the average score was an F.

We’re sure all our readers, whether well-dressed or not, can see where such a path leads. To a vast and gray middle, where people are comfortable being succored in the womb of a government that is neither too competent nor too incompetent but which is also quite willing to ensure that it does the things necessary to make sure its citizens are also neither too successful nor too unsuccessful. It is well to keep in mind that such a condition comes at a steep price, however, in terms of personal liberty and loss of individual freedom.

Is this sort of “government nanny care” what the average citizen really wants, or is it what an entrenched government bureaucracy — fed like a giant queen bee by its public sector and blue collar labor union worker bees – REALLY wants? We’ll let you decide.

Government Queen Bee and her Union Worker Bees?

Social Sites? Bookmark It!

Hide Sites