Too Much Power for One Man in a Republican Government

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

If nothing else aside from seeing the outrageous amounts that government has grown comfortable spending, there is something else clearly frightening about the direction that we see in Washington today, particularly with the health care debate.

There is just too much power that rests in the hands of one man.

No, conservatives - that man is not President Barack Obama, although a case could certainly be made for that with the hard-left lean that Capitol Hill has made since January 2009.

It's Joe Lieberman.

No, granted, at this time, Ol' Joe is being thought of more along the lines of "Ol' Faithful" when it comes to his determination to keep "health care reform" from equaling another government episode of wasteful spending and inefficient service delivery.

However, the paradigm is still the same, fellow Americans.

Too much of the fate of the many is held by the too few of the people there to represent the masses.

And that's a problem, regardless.

As we have already seen with the cloture issue a few weeks ago, all that it takes is a few holdouts on each side and, lo and behold, legislation flies through - or gets held up.

I guess it's the American way? Really, this is how republics are supposed to advance "change"?

Don't tell me about the change that can when Mary Landrieu (D-LA) decided that it was more important to get $300 million for her state than it was to think about the long-term costs her change in vote would have on her constituents. Perhaps Lieberman is doing the same, thinking about the long-term implications that this bill would have on the people of Connecticut or throughout the nation.

And if Lieberman remain as the one holdout, who lines up next once he falls? Landrieu, asking for more money? Nelson?

This is still not bipartisan leadership coming from Washington. This is not balance. This is not change.

What we are seeing playing out are the same sorts of back-and-forth exchanges that hamper the balanced progress that maintains a sense of Americanism and a commitment to fiscal responsibility and global independence.

What happened to the portability that President Obama mentioned in his speech back in September? Doesn't matter - not a top priority of the one man that could be holding back this bill from getting 60% approval.

Folks - 60% approval is a very low D in school - and that's in the worse schools. Many schools, a 60% gets you a solid F.

And that is what this health care bill may end up being remembered as - a failure of the American legislators in Washington to create a balanced, responsible, and long-reaching directive that creates better health care, lower costs, and opportunities for more economic vitality for Americans (yes, including jobs) despite the temptation to "do it my way" because the numbers are right.

From the rush to get this done before Christmas to the push to get Lieberman on board, this has been the height of political expediency, not the promise of togetherness and effiency we expected in January 2009.

What a difference a year makes - or maybe it doesn't. And sadly, because of that, it's back to addressing the whims of the mighty few at the cost of the masses.

For everyone of us, one does end up making the loneliest number.