Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The Pigs are Walking
"When I'm president, privatization is off the table because it's not the answer to anything."
Hillary Rodham, September 3, 2007 AARP Legislative Conference.
"Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants," said Chavez, speaking on the first day of classes.
Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President, September 17, 2007
Ever read George Orwell's fantasy novel "Animal Farm"? Wonderful piece of literature. Great allegory about animals rebelling against the wicked farmer and taking control of the farm and their own destinies in the name of and for the good of all animals.
Trouble begins brewing however, as the pigs slowly begin to take on traits of the scoundrel farmer who so infuriated them to begin with. They had defined a set of "Commandments" for the animals but as it became to the pigs' advantage, those "Commandments" were secretly altered in the dead of night to justify the pigs' ever-increasingly man-like behavior. My favorite one was "All animals are equal", which was altered in the dead of night by Squealer to be "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others".
Their original seven commandments were boiled down to "Four legs good, two legs bad", with wings counting as legs. But Squealer taught the sheep to say "Four legs good, two legs better" to prepare the animals for the pigs eventual shift to walking upright which is the way the book ended. The pigs gradually changed the commandments and their own behavior as they slowly morphed into the very beings that they rebelled against in the first place. Does that sound at all familiar?
In an episode of "Lost" last season, the character Artz makes a comment that the pigs are walking, meaning the island leaders were taking advantage of their status to give themselves favors the rest of the islanders couldn't enjoy. I love it when pop culture references literature like that.
Today we see Hugo Chavez, the "elected" president of Venezuela acting like a pig on two legs. He has decided that "his" presidency should be favored above all others and is taking steps to ensure that his term in office will be long and comfortable. Screw the masses, I will be the great protector and as such will be afforded the luxuries that I want and deserve. He has nationalized the oil industry, television and radio, schools all in the name of "the people" but he really is seeking ultimate power. Sacrifice the mass of individuals for the good of a few select individuals through the power of government. And in Hugo's case, he isn't even trying to be sneaky about it.
We also see Hillary speaking out against the individual once again by stating that privatization is off the table because it is not the answer to anything. We can infer through this statement then that the only way to make things work is through government programs, according to Hillary.
This is the very argument made by Democrats during the discussions about whether to federalize the security operations at American airports. I believe it was Tom Daschel that said to professionalize we must federalize. Each of these people feel that the answer to problems in a country is to federalize it, to make it a government function and to regulate and control behavior.
If you believe this is the way to run a country, shame on you. If there is one tenet about our United States of America that I truly believe it is that we are a great country because of our Constitution and our people. America is not great because of its government but in spite of it. And the Constitution is the reason the people in this country have led the way on many fronts during our 200+ years of existence.
If we allow politicians like Hillary their way, we will move forward on the path to our own self-destruction, much like Hugo Chavez is doing to his country in South America. How many times do we need to see Socialism fail before we give up on trying to become Socialist? How many times can we beat back the attacks on our very freedoms and liberties before we say we've had enough?
Government is best which governs least. It is an age old adage that seems to always be in question, at least for many people. Why does anyone think that government can do a better job than the marketplace in any endeavor? Government has never proved that it can be economical or efficient. Government uses brute force and glue to make things work its way. Government would have you pound a round peg into a square hole because that is what our research has shown to be most effective. But who provided the research? Someone with an agenda, someone who has a contract with the government to provide round pegs and square holes.
Our founders spent a lot of time and thought on our Constitution and it has worked wonderfully well for a long, long time and there is no reason it cannot continue to do so. We cannot allow politicians to rewrite our "Commandments" based on expediency or whatever the masses may want or whatever the leaders may want.
If you feel government is best which governs most, then perhaps you may want to take up residence in Venezuela. But don't try to change this country into something it was never intended to be. I love this country but I hate it when the pigs start walking!
OH
Hillary Rodham, September 3, 2007 AARP Legislative Conference.
"Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants," said Chavez, speaking on the first day of classes.
Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President, September 17, 2007
Ever read George Orwell's fantasy novel "Animal Farm"? Wonderful piece of literature. Great allegory about animals rebelling against the wicked farmer and taking control of the farm and their own destinies in the name of and for the good of all animals.
Trouble begins brewing however, as the pigs slowly begin to take on traits of the scoundrel farmer who so infuriated them to begin with. They had defined a set of "Commandments" for the animals but as it became to the pigs' advantage, those "Commandments" were secretly altered in the dead of night to justify the pigs' ever-increasingly man-like behavior. My favorite one was "All animals are equal", which was altered in the dead of night by Squealer to be "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others".
Their original seven commandments were boiled down to "Four legs good, two legs bad", with wings counting as legs. But Squealer taught the sheep to say "Four legs good, two legs better" to prepare the animals for the pigs eventual shift to walking upright which is the way the book ended. The pigs gradually changed the commandments and their own behavior as they slowly morphed into the very beings that they rebelled against in the first place. Does that sound at all familiar?
In an episode of "Lost" last season, the character Artz makes a comment that the pigs are walking, meaning the island leaders were taking advantage of their status to give themselves favors the rest of the islanders couldn't enjoy. I love it when pop culture references literature like that.
Today we see Hugo Chavez, the "elected" president of Venezuela acting like a pig on two legs. He has decided that "his" presidency should be favored above all others and is taking steps to ensure that his term in office will be long and comfortable. Screw the masses, I will be the great protector and as such will be afforded the luxuries that I want and deserve. He has nationalized the oil industry, television and radio, schools all in the name of "the people" but he really is seeking ultimate power. Sacrifice the mass of individuals for the good of a few select individuals through the power of government. And in Hugo's case, he isn't even trying to be sneaky about it.
We also see Hillary speaking out against the individual once again by stating that privatization is off the table because it is not the answer to anything. We can infer through this statement then that the only way to make things work is through government programs, according to Hillary.
This is the very argument made by Democrats during the discussions about whether to federalize the security operations at American airports. I believe it was Tom Daschel that said to professionalize we must federalize. Each of these people feel that the answer to problems in a country is to federalize it, to make it a government function and to regulate and control behavior.
If you believe this is the way to run a country, shame on you. If there is one tenet about our United States of America that I truly believe it is that we are a great country because of our Constitution and our people. America is not great because of its government but in spite of it. And the Constitution is the reason the people in this country have led the way on many fronts during our 200+ years of existence.
If we allow politicians like Hillary their way, we will move forward on the path to our own self-destruction, much like Hugo Chavez is doing to his country in South America. How many times do we need to see Socialism fail before we give up on trying to become Socialist? How many times can we beat back the attacks on our very freedoms and liberties before we say we've had enough?
Government is best which governs least. It is an age old adage that seems to always be in question, at least for many people. Why does anyone think that government can do a better job than the marketplace in any endeavor? Government has never proved that it can be economical or efficient. Government uses brute force and glue to make things work its way. Government would have you pound a round peg into a square hole because that is what our research has shown to be most effective. But who provided the research? Someone with an agenda, someone who has a contract with the government to provide round pegs and square holes.
Our founders spent a lot of time and thought on our Constitution and it has worked wonderfully well for a long, long time and there is no reason it cannot continue to do so. We cannot allow politicians to rewrite our "Commandments" based on expediency or whatever the masses may want or whatever the leaders may want.
If you feel government is best which governs most, then perhaps you may want to take up residence in Venezuela. But don't try to change this country into something it was never intended to be. I love this country but I hate it when the pigs start walking!
OH
# posted by OH @ 10:52 AM 
