The GOP came into the majority largely in response to Democrat excesses in 1994. They did it under the leadership of Gingrich, as you may recall, by means of a message of rolling back the size and scope of gov't. Recall the media frenzy over the Contract With America, a mostly pretty good start. Gingrich pressured a vote on his several points in the forst 100 days of that Congress.
One of the best points of this push was to require the feds to fund federal mandates, which I thought would be an excellent beginning. Alas, that one was voted on but didn't pass.
The Dems answer to this arrogance on the part of the upstart GOP majority was to start destroying the reputations of as many prominent Repubs as they could. Unfortunately, Newt has a somewhat checkered past regarding his personal life. As this was exposed by the ever moral Dems, Newt showed his true Repub characteristic: his lack of a spine, and resigned.
The extortion treatment has been tried a few more times against uppity Repubs, with the usual success when attempted against craven cowards.
The same tactic was tried a couple of times by the GOP against Dems, but the Dems are more brazen, plus they have the News Media on their side.
Subsequently, in the wake of this constant threat by the Dems, the GOP, after narrowly getting GW Bush elected, tacked. Now, they're attempting to out Dem the Dems: Take all the traditional Dem positions and get them through with the slim majority they now enjoy in both Houses.
The result so far: we have virtually all of the programs Bill Kkklinton wanted to create, now created passed and signed by the Repubs. Add to that the many restrictions on freedom of movement and deed enacted in the wake of the Islamic attacks, and Voila! we have the beginnings of the USSA (Union of the Soviet States of America).
Most of the very few Repubs who might stand against this usurpation, being the spineless politicians they are, succumbed to the democrat-inspired extortion tactics used by GOP party leaders and opted for socialism to keep their cushy jobs.
Alas! All this just to keep a majority! I'd be willing to bet that had they stayed with the message that brought the GOP into the majority in the first place, both the GOP and all Americans would be better off and more free right now.
Col. Hogan
Monday, November 24, 2003
To continue yesterday's lesson.....
It wasn't always easy to pay the doctor's bill along with all the regular ones, but we could. I reckon we were late at times, and maybe paid the bill off over a few months (when we four kids got mumps one after the other), but the doctor was patient (a pun, he he!) as he undoubtably had to be with many of his customers.
Why can't it be like that today?
We can blame it on new technology, except we've had new technology more or less continuously since the days of bleedings and leechings. We could blame it on hard times, but 'most all of us were better off, even during the Great Depression, than they were during the Renaissance.
I think we have to hang this one on gov't.
Col. Hogan
It wasn't always easy to pay the doctor's bill along with all the regular ones, but we could. I reckon we were late at times, and maybe paid the bill off over a few months (when we four kids got mumps one after the other), but the doctor was patient (a pun, he he!) as he undoubtably had to be with many of his customers.
Why can't it be like that today?
We can blame it on new technology, except we've had new technology more or less continuously since the days of bleedings and leechings. We could blame it on hard times, but 'most all of us were better off, even during the Great Depression, than they were during the Renaissance.
I think we have to hang this one on gov't.
Col. Hogan
Sunday, November 23, 2003
Return with me now, to those thrilling days of yesteryear....
I guess you'd have to be at least fifty years of age to remember when gov't had almost nothing to do with health care. There was the employer-supplied major medical insurance, but I don't know if there was any gov't involvement in that--maybe.
As for the normal, day-to-day health needs, it was all out of pocket. Oddly, and impossibly to today's mindset, we could afford it. It wasn't always easy, but we could.
My dad worked for the railroad. He started out as a telegraph operator, then followed the improvements in technology over the years to the fellow who radioed orders to the trainmen. Not an overly lucrative kind of work. I guess we were middle-class. Mom didn't work until my youngest brother was entering his teens. She started working then, mainly to give herself a little spending money to buy a few things she wanted outside the family budget.
When any of us got sick, of course first Mom tried to care for us. Actually, that worked out fine more often than not. If we had to see a doctor, we went. The doctor did his stuff, then sent us a bill. We paid the bill. That was it. No copays. No forms. No approvals. No big book of participating "care-givers." --As if a physician's task is to "give care!" --Like a cow's job is to "give milk." This New-Age lingo makes me ill. -- Our doctor knew us. He liked us--at least, he seemed to. He was happy to see us and to do what it took to make us feel better.
Col. Hogan
I guess you'd have to be at least fifty years of age to remember when gov't had almost nothing to do with health care. There was the employer-supplied major medical insurance, but I don't know if there was any gov't involvement in that--maybe.
As for the normal, day-to-day health needs, it was all out of pocket. Oddly, and impossibly to today's mindset, we could afford it. It wasn't always easy, but we could.
My dad worked for the railroad. He started out as a telegraph operator, then followed the improvements in technology over the years to the fellow who radioed orders to the trainmen. Not an overly lucrative kind of work. I guess we were middle-class. Mom didn't work until my youngest brother was entering his teens. She started working then, mainly to give herself a little spending money to buy a few things she wanted outside the family budget.
When any of us got sick, of course first Mom tried to care for us. Actually, that worked out fine more often than not. If we had to see a doctor, we went. The doctor did his stuff, then sent us a bill. We paid the bill. That was it. No copays. No forms. No approvals. No big book of participating "care-givers." --As if a physician's task is to "give care!" --Like a cow's job is to "give milk." This New-Age lingo makes me ill. -- Our doctor knew us. He liked us--at least, he seemed to. He was happy to see us and to do what it took to make us feel better.
Col. Hogan
Friday, November 21, 2003
The Nazis are poised to vote on the first steps toward nationalizing the medical drug industry. Once again, this usurpation is being pushed by, not Gephart, Pelosi, et al, but the Bush gang. The Republicans!
In order to show that they're not the same ol' evil Republicans of the past, they're obviously trying to out-Democrat the Democrats and push the US further toward socialist dictatorship with themselves in office instead of the Dems.
Well, we'll aparently be starting out with free-- or cheap-- drugs for all seniors on medicare. We'll see where it goes from there.
Col. Hogan
In order to show that they're not the same ol' evil Republicans of the past, they're obviously trying to out-Democrat the Democrats and push the US further toward socialist dictatorship with themselves in office instead of the Dems.
Well, we'll aparently be starting out with free-- or cheap-- drugs for all seniors on medicare. We'll see where it goes from there.
Col. Hogan
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