Quote for the Day

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -- Thomas Jefferson

They Will Never Get It

"...The City of Chicago had suffered nearly twice as many fatalities as all American soldiers in Iraq over the same period...the City tallied over 500 homicides, 80 percent of which were caused by gunshot wounds. In total, the social costs of gun violence in Chicago are estimated at $2.5 billion. Despite the devastating impact on local communities, federal gun control has essentially been taken off the table as a valid issue due to concerns of its unpopularity in elections. To reinstate such an important and consequential dialogue, Democrats must re-frame gun control as a pro-security measure." [link]

I don't happen to see any mention anywhere in the article that gun ownership in Chicago is for all intents and purposes illegal. So wouldn't logic dictate that making something that is already illegal in an area illegal again have no effect, or would the double emphasis on being illegal make all the difference?

Also notice the strategy that has been put forth, that of "re-framing" the issue. I posted yesterday about the mastery of the left in using language as a means of winning support. They change the focus but everything else remains the same. This is a tactic that has worked for them in many areas and one that liberty and freedom minded people need to be more aware of if we wish to stop the encroachment of our liberties.

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

Cart: "...Obama will announce Wednesday morning that House Democrats have pledged to pass a health care reform bill by July 31 -- a vow the White House believes will advance its goal of seeing health care legislation signed into law by year's end."

Horse: "The announcement will not describe the contents of the health care bill -- leaving key questions about funding, coverage and access for another day." [link]

Usually when people set out to solve a problem they will start looking at options available rather than to say here is our end result we will get you the details of how we solved it as soon as we figure that out.

Before they attempt to hash out the details let's look at some things that might work. How about doctors competing for patients via pricing? How many of you with insurance go to see a doctor and leave the office without having a clue what your bill is or what you are billed for? Some billing specialist usually bills your insurance (and boy do they bill them), and it might be months before you get a finalized bill for the remainder yourself.

What we don't need to do is set back and let congress and the administration do as they please. As we can see that approach has worked so well for Medicare and Social Security. Do you want your health care handled by the same people that have made those two programs "shining examples" of government achievement?

Is It That Far Off?

Just ran across this and it made me wonder, how far are we from scenarios like this taking place?