You don't know me

I was astounded to read an opinion piece by Frank Rich of the NY Times last week claiming that Tea Partiers are not really upset about the growth of the size and power of the federal government, or out of control and unsustainable spending. We are apparently really upset that a black man is president, a woman is speaker of the house and the openly gay Barney Frank holds a position of power. (You can read the outrageous claims for yourself here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28rich.html ).

Likewise I have heard those on the left opine that people who watch Glenn Beck must just agree with what they call "his doomsday hate speech". It had me completely confounded. We are absolutely spending at a rate that will lead to economic disaster if drastic measures are not taken. Moody's has warned that we are in danger of losing our AAA credit rating as a country. The CBO said last week that within 10 years our debt will equal 90% of GDP.

Nobody can deny that the process used to pass this health care bill was shady at best and unethical at worst. And even if you believe that health care is a right of all people in America and that it is our government's job to ensure that "right" for all, where does that end? Will it be the government's job to provide housing? Food? Clothing? Transportation? This is the model that has been widely accepted in Europe. However, this model runs counter to everything that this country was founded on: personal responsibility, limited government, and private charity.

For every suffering person in America without adequate food, shelter or medicine, there are private charities, generous individuals and businesses looking to help our neighbors and fellow countrymen. Private donations to Hatti from US business and individuals topped 1 billion within a matter of weeks. That is the strength of the United States of America and that is the spirit that you will kill if you try to run all people's needs through the breadline of the federal government.

Giving not only blesses the recipient, it blesses the giver. How much blessing and sense of community do we get out of having the government stick their hands in our pockets and then redistribute to the less fortunate as they see fit?
On the other side, if a person receives assistance from the government, some will come to see it as their due and never pick themselves up and move forward the way they might after getting a helping hand from a neighbor, friend, colleague or private company.

The company that I work for does more philanthropic work then anywhere I have ever worked. That makes me proud to work there and my associates and I feel a sense of team and community when our company hosts drives to raise money for causes and charities. The government taking money from my paycheck and giving to similar needs lacks all those benefits of giving that inspire us to want to give more and do it again.

Add to that the fact that everything the government does the private sector does better, cheaper and more efficiently and I think you have a strong argument against growing the scope of government in people's lives.

People are mad. Not because a black man is in the white house. I rarely think about the president's race unless someone is accusing me of not liking him because he is black. I could care less that Pelosi is a woman or Barney Frank is gay - never even crosses my mind. I have enough to think about with trillions in new debt, bailouts of "too big to fail" car companies, banks, Fanny and Freddie, government run health care, privatization of student loans, government subsidized mortgages, and, well, I could go on and on.

So Mr Rich, smart guy NY Times writer extraordinaire, you don't know me at all - not one little bit. I am hard working, and I want to keep what I work hard for and I choose to give to those in need and causes I believe in. I am deeply proud of my country, especially those men and women who put on the uniform of our country and lay their lives on the line for my freedom. I am involved in politics now as never before because I hope to be a mom someday soon and I want my children to have the exceptional America that I grew up in. But Mr Rich thinks I am protesting our government actions because I am a racist who fears losing the white man power structure in this country. I have decided that I don't care what Frank Rich thinks. I am done defending myself and my fellow Tea Party patriots against ridiculous labels of racist, misogynistic red neck. The truth is on our side and more see it every day. Mr Rich's argument holds no water, because he doesn't know a thing about me.

What's the real debate here?

I have been thinking about who the people are that make up the 35%-40% that support this health care bill. I think One group will never have their minds changed because they understand what they are supporting and it is exactly what they want. The other group is sincere, but what they think they are supporting is not really what they will be getting. Let's be honest here, this a massive new government entitlement program, any way you slice it.
Here's what I think: 15%-20% of those who support this bill have been burned by an insurance company, or frustrated by rising health care costs. They just want the problem fixed and they either don't understand or don't care that this 2700 page bill is like treating a broken finger by amputating the entire arm and replacing it with a 2.5 trillion dollar mechanical arm to which the government holds the remote control. The other 20% genuinely want the USA to be more like the social democracies of Europe with more federal government control of our lives. They believe that government taking care of citizens' every need is more important than the individual freedom and responsibility and that this country was founded on. It honestly does not bother them in the least that this bill adds 16,000 new IRS agents to the government payroll to inforce insurance mandates on individuals and businesses. These are the progressives that want to see America transformed into a new kind of Nation where the collective is valued above the individual. Having spoken to many of these people, I believe that they are sincere in their belief that the United States, collectively, will be better for this transformation. Individual freedom and free market economic success may suffer for it, but they believe that it is all for the greater good of America as a whole. The problem is that they are dead wrong.

America has been the most prosperous and free nation since our founding because of the very differences that progressives seek to eradicate. As yourself, what are we "progressing" towards? What are we "progressing" away from? I suggest a new course for America, a u-turn back towards the principles that we were founded on and that have made us so strong. The same principles that have been slowly muted, diluted, and refuted by progressives since the turn of the 20th century.

You have all heard the adage that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. If you look at history you will see that the further a country moves towards socialism, the less free and prosperous it becomes. From extreme examples like Stalin and Mao, Castro and Chavez to the more subtle slide towards socialism like what is currently happening in places like Greece and Spain, bigger government has always led to economic turmoil at best and mass murder at worst. So the question is, which direction do we want to slide down that scale? Remember, government power is only as good as those wielding the power. So ask yourself, what happens when the wrong people get that power, even if it's 50 or 100 years from now?

Also, if private enterprise is the horse pulling the economic engine and social welfare program recipients are the cargo, what happens when the cargo outweighs the horse by 100 fold? Who will pull that cart?