Moving the needle

I've never really been an ideologue. Oh, I'll be the first to admit I've been right of center politically my whole life. I grew up in a politically active Republican family in western Kansas, and it came naturally. (I tend to agree with some of the studies that shows there is at least a genetic disposition to political views). However needless to say as a pro-choice, pro-gay rights, anti-censorship Republican, I don't fit in well with the "socially" conservative wing of the party.

Despite all that, the first seven months of Obama, Reid and Pelosi being in power has done more to make me a right wing ideologue than anything that has happened in my entire life. The bailout of the financial industry, the bailout of the auto industry, the "stimulus" package, and now the health care debate. Obama has doubled our national debt in seven months. It took us some 233 years to do what he has done financially in seven months. Unfortunately, there seems to be no regard for who is going to pay those bills.

Simply because I am one of many that oppose the federal takeover of my health care decisions, I have been likened to a Nazi, a brown-shirt, and a mobster. The White House has asked us to "snitch" on our neighbors and report "fishy" e-mails about the health care. Amazingly though, all of a sudden people that hadn't ever signed up got emails in support of the Obamacare from the White House. Damn, apparently none of my friends emailed the White House with one of my "fishy" emails. I feel left out. However, the thought of the White House collecting email addresses for blatant political purposes either in support of their program or to collect an "enemies" list, is rather scary as I've blogged before.

All in all, the last six months of Obama, Pelosi and Reid has done more to make me a right-wing ideologue than anything in my entire life. As Thomas Paine once wrote, "It is the duty of the patriot to defend his country from his government." And to the extent that Obama, Pelosi and Reid, represent that government, anything I can do to oppose them and any success they may try to have, is in my opinion a patriotic statement.