There Is Only One Crime In The World–Hypocracy; Everything Else Is Just Administrative Regulations
(The eccentric spelling of hypocrisy in the headline is a joke by Fields. Please see the comments.)
SAM FIELDS
Guest Columnist
HEALTH CARE
The sixty-year-old debate of offering health insurance to all Americans is back on the front burner. Right now the central issue is whether there should be a public option to compete with the private plans.
Republicans have made this the centerpiece of their opposition.
They are so obsessed about opposing a public plan that they insist on calling a “government plan in hopes that this will tar the idea. They now have a $$$$ fine for any Republican who fails to use “government rather than “public“.
They clearly have taken a tough, unified, no exceptions stand against the “government plan” that they see as the socialist/communistic agenda of President Barack Obama.
Not exactly.
They want to keep one exceptionthemselves. Check out the government plan that members of Congress and their families get for the munificent sum of $35 per month.
Read about it here.
GUNS IN THE WORKPLACE AND OUR PARKS
Over the last year the Congress has passed laws to make it OK to carry guns into national parks. At the same time, the Florida legislature has pushed for expanding concealed weapons into the workplace notwithstanding the desires of the business owner.
Once again the defenders of the Second Amendment have taken a courageous stand to give all Americans the right to decide how, when and where they will pack their pistol.
Not exactly.
Try to bring a gun onto the Capitol grounds, which is a national park. Try to bring a gun into the U.S. Capitol or the Florida Legislature.
The legislative hypocrites have once again carved out an exception for themselves.
If you doubt me, try to get a Smith & Wesson passed the security guards in either place. I suggest you carry the following phone number with you:
954-463-4333. That’s Brandy Bail Bonds.
June 20th, 2009 at 4:56 am
Neither party wants the other to get the credit for fixing America’s number one domestic policy need, affordable healthcare. But they have two separate reasons.
The Republicans are staunch supporters of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies that face significant financial loss if suddenly their goods and services have to be provided affordably. They keep referring to a private sector plan to fix healthcare that never seems to emerge.
The Democrats want to provide low cost, good quality healthcare to every American. Period. And because the private sector won’t cooperate, they are forced to use government to get the job done. It’s not that they insist on government doing it. It’s that the private sector WON’T do it and worse, doesn’t want government doing it either. Their agenda is not getting it done at all. Democrats are looking out for us in pushing the thing through.
And so we are down to name calling now. When the government tries to meet a pressing need of the people that the private sector’s greed won’t embrace, that makes us socialists. But when George Bush stands up and says give the banks and auto makers buyouts, he’s a quintessential captalist and not a socialist.
It is hypocrisy as Sam suggests. But beyond that it reflects where we as a nation place our priorities. I have no problem using government as a way out of a significant problem if and when the private sector simply refuses come to the plate. We pay too much for our healthcare now, and too many Americans have none at all. That’s not sustainable and we must eliminate that aspect of human pain from our advanced society. The time for affordable healthcare for all is now and if the private sector won’t do it, then I am in support of the government filling that need.
If wanting that advancement for America makes me a communist or a socialist then so be it. I call it progress for the American family.
June 20th, 2009 at 5:08 am
The big problem with gun control is the constitution protections that gun owners have. Because of those limits, and because Americans don’t want to change that portion of the constitution, rules about where one can and can’t have a gun are always going to be at odds with the fact that too many people can’t be trusted with guns.
I think that one could do this however. I was always drawn to that aspect of the movie “Judge Dred” where that weapon that Sylvestor Stallone uses can’t be fired by anyone other than the person it was made for.
I know it’s corny to use a movie for an example of good public policy but think of it. But imagine a situation where a gun won’t fire unless held by the person, and only by the person that is authorized to use it. Improved technology would ensure that the bullets fired from that gun are always 100% identified as being fired only by that gun. In order to buy guns or bullets, you have to have your fingerprints and full background check on record and in order. On resale of guns, the gun can be reset to someone else’s hand but only by a government entity — to avoid criminal activity that way. Otherwise the gun is nothing but an elaborate paperweight. It won’t work.
If we somehow did that, and if we tried harder to be smarter about where guns should and should not permitted, then we’d be in much better shape and criminals would have to think twice before getting weapons.
There would always be loopholes in this or any strategy to close. But those over time would be addressed. For sure, while not perfect, this would be better than what we have now.
June 20th, 2009 at 5:15 am
do you really think so?
June 20th, 2009 at 5:48 am
P.S.
In terms of hypocrisy, catching another “Christian Family Values†guy with his zipper down has become trite:Gingrich, McCain, Vitter, etc.
Add to that list Sen. John Ensign (R. Nev.) who is a well known member of Promise Keepers the rightwing, male only (closeted gays?) Christian family values organization.
Ensign was one of those who led the impeachment charge against the well know fornicator Bill Clinton.
Ensign now admits that he was having an affair with the wife of a campaign staffer. He and his supporters remind us that “Christens are not perfect, they are just forgiven.†Who knew that “forgiven†was a synonym for “hypocrite�
You may have noticed that in the title of this rant that “hypocrisy†is misspelled as “hypocracyâ€. It makes it sound like a form of government along side of “democracy†“theocracy” etc.
June 20th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Guns are a constitutional right. That means that laws restricting them are unconstitutional. What part of that don’t you understand, Fields?
June 21st, 2009 at 11:07 am
Dear Guns
If you think that the 2nd Amd is an unlimited right to have guns then try putting a Howitzer on your lawn. Try walking into the Capitol with one. Put a homemade supressor on your weapon.