Donkephant

And, yes, I’m going to tell you why. Also, it’s mostly the Democrats who are wrong, but I’ve heard my fair share of Republicans that are messed up on the issue as well.

First. Let’s get something straight. Every single American has access to healthcare. Any one of us can walk into any Emergency Room and receive healthcare irregardless of our ability to pay. Will they ask you to pay? Probably. But they’ll still treat you first. So, quit trying to use that silly argument.

Second. Those of us with insurance or money to pay for our healthcare will likely receive better treatment. It’s a reality in every single capitalist economy. Free = lesser. Sorry, but that’s the way it works. If you don’t like it, get a job that offers insurance. And if you do have insurance? Quit going to the doctor so darn often. I firmly believe that you are capable of treating your own splinters.

Third. You do NOT have a right to health insurance. Affordable health insurance? Yes. But, expect your affordable health insurance to not cover as much as the “Cadillac” plans do. This goes back to the Free = Lesser argument. The quality of something (In this case, what it covers and how much it pays) is directly relational to how much you pay for it. If I can afford a health insurance plan that has a premium of $4000 a month, I can expect it to pay everything. If I’m only paying $400 a month, I cannot.

To recap: Health Care does not equal Health Insurance. You do not really have a right to either. What you do have the right to is the “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. None of those three things can be construed as meaning health insurance or health care. Very simply, I cannot take your Life from you. I cannot take your Liberty from you, and I cannot keep you from pursuing happiness. Period. Stop trying to give it meaning that doesn’t exist, or I’ll start doing the same. Did I mention that I can make a very good argument for my pursuit of happiness being ruined by people who don’t do what I tell them to?

The more liberally you take these things, the more liberties you’ll give us to use them against you later. You keep saying it, and maybe it’s true, but we conservatives are a warring bunch and when we are not allowed to war with our real enemies, we’ll naturally turn on our domestic ones.

Finally, you all are acting like a bunch of children. You aren’t getting your way, so you’re trying to find ways to break the rules without getting caught and to bend the rest of them so that you’re stuff gets pushed through. Grow up already.

Let me start by saying that I truly believe that the Toyota recalls were necessary and that the parts in question really were failing like they were reported to be. I do feel that the coverage was overmuch and that it was blown out of proportion. The recall for the gas pedal wasn’t really as dangerous as everyone made it seem. If your gas pedal gets stuck and you find yourself driving a car that is accelerating uncontrollably, all you have to do is put the car into neutral. That’s it. The brakes is another story.

All of that aside, there is a little conspiracy theorist deep down that is wondering if all the hullabaloo isn’t a construct of the unions. You see, Toyota is not a unionized company. They don’t have contracts with the unions in their factories. And Toyota has been consistently gaining market share over the big three in Detroit. And the big three are unionized. So, the theory goes that the unions are putting political pressure on the government to put a lot more pressure on Toyota than they would on Ford, GM, and Chevy.

Just a conspiracy theory, but all too plausible.

There’s been an amazing amount of focus on the race to fill Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat in the U.S. Senate. As I type this, the polls are open and everyone is reporting a large turnout of voters.

Part of the reason for both of those things is what hangs in the balance. If the Republican candidate wins, he would be the pivotal 41st vote that could throw the cog in the gears of the health care reform bill. There’s a third party (Libertarian) candidate, who doesn’t really stand a chance, but I think he would caucus with the GOP as far as the health care bill would go. Either of these candidates could end the bill’s run. Not to mention that the district has been a Liberal hot spot for centuries. And, despite that, all the polling leading up to the vote indicate that the Republican has a better than good chance of coming out on top.

So many conservatives are rallying to the side of their candidate. There have been tons of money flowing in from around the country on both sides of the line.

But, where were all of those people in 2008? There’s been a huge awakening in this country and we’ve seen an influx of new blood, so to speak. If even half of those people had been active in the last election, perhaps we wouldn’t need to be going to the extremes that we are now.

An excellent reason to stay active as best you can. What better incentive than loss of liberty.

I was sent this link to a YouTube video earlier today. It’s called “America Rising: An Open Letter to Democrat Politicians” and it’s rather good. It’s done in the style of a action/drama movie trailer. Take a look.

I like it.

Long time North Dakota U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan announced that he would not be running for re-election in the coming 2010 elections. Despite his claims that he isn’t running because of threats of ND Governor John Hoeven running against him or a threat of losing his position, I don’t think there’s much doubt in many eyes as to that being the exact reason.

I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that part of it is that he’s been a senator for 30 years. But, when I look at that, I have a hard time not thinking that he saw a hard race coming and just felt like he was just too old for the battle. And it would be a hard battle. And likely a losing battle at that. Even without Hoeven having publicly announced his candidacy, he was polling with a 10-20 point lead over Dorgan.

Dorgan hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the conservative base of North Dakota. Yes, he’s a Democrat, but he represents a largely conservative state. It’s a funny state though. It votes conservatively for President, and usually for Governor as well. The state house and senate usually run conservative as well. But, all of it’s U.S. representation has been Democrat for decades. So, he’s had a pretty secure position for a while. But, his votes on the health care and stimulus bills have turned many of his constituents against him.

I’ve only lived in the state for a hair over a decade, but I have a very hard time not celebrating his departure. Good bye Senator Dorgan. I’m not going to miss you.

I’ve seen a few articles (I’ve lost the reference but if you find it let me know) where U.S. Senators and Congressmen have been quoted as saying that they aren’t there to do what is best for their state, but to do what is best for the United States. And it makes me mad every time.

The purpose of a U.S. Senator or Congressman is to act as a representative of his/her constituents. It’s the basis behind the idea of a representative government. You know, that whole thing that started a revolution. If a representative is no longer acting in the best interest of their state and is instead worried more about the best interests of the federal government, they are no longer representing their constituents and should be asked to step down from their position.

Senators and Congressmen, it is your obligation to do what is best for your state no matter what. You represent us, not the U.S. government. If what is best for the state happens to coincide with what is best for the U.S. then we can accept that, but if it does not, you must not be seen to go along with it. Unfortunately, you’ve gotten away with it for far too long and it has become the status quo. I think 2010 might be the start of a change for that. I can only hope that the shake-up is enough. I fear that it won’t be.

Instead, you could just do your jobs and maybe then you could keep them too.