Thursday, August 20, 2009

WASHINGTON'S EVER-GROWING ARROGANCE

Unless you have ever had the misfortune of dealing with law enforcement or the octopus-like arms of a civil attorney suing you, perhaps you haven't had this moment in life just yet. It's that moment when you finally realize the phrase "They can't do that" no longer means anything.


When you tell a police officer they have no "probable cause" to do something, the unabashed answer now is "I don't need any". When the attorney buries you under meaningless, unending paperwork or frivolous delays that cost you more and more each day, it's easy to think "They can't do that". When local officials double or triple your tax bills you can't help but say "They can't do that!" They can.


The truth is people in positions of authority or control do things every day because for the past 40 years Americans have not said "No. You can't do that!" We have given away far too much power to those who will abuse it.


The latest example comes from our Congress in Washington.


Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) have issued a letter to fifty of the nations largest health insurance providers asking for all manner of financial data. Their arrogance to ask private companies to reveal the information is based on anger that the insurance companies would actually fight back against a group of political radicals who are out to put them out of business.


Waxman and Stupak have absolutely no right to ask for the information but they do have the power to be abusive, declare the corporate officers in Contempt of Congress and basically make their lives miserable. "They can't do that" you say? Think again. This pattern of behavior goes back to the days of McCarthyism and Black Lists.


Think of it this way. If a local government official sent you a letter saying they wanted to know all your spending habits, just how much money you had in the bank, what you were planning on doing in the future with your money and a variety of other invasive questions, how would you feel?


President Obama gave another one of his pompous smoke screen talks Wednesday claiming it was a "moral obligation" to support his health care boondoggle. The real truth is that Americans do have a moral obligation they must exercise. That obligation is to remove current members of Congress from office.


It's the politicians turn to moan and cry "They can't do that!", but we can. 2010 is just around the corner. Get to work on that goal today.