“I Have Seen the Enemy and He is US”

This last week marked the annual CPAC convention.  It is a gathering of the best conservative minds to discuss the future of our country and the future of the conservative movement in America.  This year, like many other years, included some great speakers: Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, Reince Priebus and even some from outside Wisconsin.  However, the most interesting speech I heard was from an EU Parliament member, Daniel Hannan.

Daniel Hannan is one of the few in Europe attempting to correct the damage that years of socialism have imparted.  He has seen the destructive effects of centralized government.  He witnessed the loss of freedom that occurs as the people lose the ability to elect those that govern them.  He provides a dire warning to US and its current direction of centralized government control.  As he and a few others within the EU Parliament are trying to halt the destruction of Europe, Daniel says, “We look up and what do we see in our rear view mirror?  We see you (United States) trying to overtake us, accelerating franticly in the direction we (European Union) have been going.”

I thought that Pogo cartoon above was such a fitting example.  While the author was trying to draw disgust from the litter that pollutes our planet, the same picture could be drawn for the progressive litter that pollutes our constitution.  As the agenda of those who believe in a centralized government seems to pick up steam and the recipients of the government programs grows; this is looking less and less like the country of our founding fathers.

Currently, the biggest threat to our existence as a free nation is Obamacare.  As we have seen recently, when the power of implementation is given to an agency (Health and Human Services) and not directly to elected officials, it becomes easier to enact policy that is unconstitutional.  The recent decision to impose contraceptive services on the religious organization is only be the beginning.  While the re-direction of this initiative shifted some of the effects off the religious entities and on to the insurance companies themselves; the premise still exists.  The premise that the government is all powerful and has within its rights to mandate what its citizens should expect to receive from private companies.  If the insurance companies must surrender their rights to the government, what comes next?  Should Colgate be mandated to provide toothpaste?  Should GM be mandated to provide a vehicle?  Are we as a country ready to give up our freedoms to a centralized government?

Other examples of our loss of freedom continue to pop up as warning to the direction we are headed.   Recently a lady at the Rock Springs airport in Wyoming was forced to miss her plane because there were no female TSA agents to pat her down.  While the TSA contends that the flight had already called for final boarding, they admit that no female agents were on duty.  However, the argument is not whether we need more female TSA agents; it is that this lady had a government representative tell her should could not attempt to board a plane.

In Chicago and Hoke County, NC; the national fight against obesity has caused some schools to either ban bag lunches, packed by parents, or to confiscate the items they deem to not meet the proper nutritional level.  Again the premise is not about what our kids eat, it is whether we want a government that decides for us what our children can/can’t eat

As Mr. Hanna points out, the United States has already started down the road of socialism, a road that can only end the collapse of our country.  We are our own enemy.  It is our choice which direction we go.  Do we want less freedom in exchange for a government that provides us our daily bread or are we prepared to take up our own responsibilities in order to keep our freedom?