Brief

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Foundation

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." --Thomas Jefferson

Sen. Ben Nelson -- the lonely 60th vote

Government

"[Barack] Obama paid off Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb) the way he and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev) had paid off Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La) last month. Put enough money on the table and just about any Democratic U.S. Senator will think, gulp, blink, and drag the pot with the rationalization that 'this is all for the greater good.' Pelican Pellets. This is no different than putting a horse's head into Jack Woltz' bed to force him into giving Johnny Fontaine a part in his movie in The Godfather. It was a deal Nelson couldn't refuse. There is no Socialized Option in the bill. Abortions will not be covered. It is unclear who will have to pay how much or when for what coverage. All in all it is health care reform that has nothing to do with health care and contains little, if any, reform. Other than this: If Democrats continue to control all the levers of power at the Federal level, this will change and change and change over the next two or three Congresses until health care in America is pronounced equal for everyone and mediocre for all." --political analyst Rich Galen

Insight

"A Fatal Tendency of Mankind. Self-preservation and self-development are common aspirations among all people. And if everyone enjoyed the unrestricted use of his faculties and the free disposition of the fruits of his labor, social progress would be ceaseless, uninterrupted, and unfailing. But there is also another tendency that is common among people. When they can, they wish to live and prosper at the expense of others. ... This fatal desire has its origin in the very nature of man -- in that primitive, universal, and insuppressible instinct that impels him to satisfy his desires with the least possible pain." --French economist and author Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

Liberty

"As we near the eve of another Christmas, I wonder: What would have happened if Mother Mary had been covered by Obamacare? What if that young, poor and uninsured teenage woman had been provided the federal funds (via Obamacare) and facilities (via Planned Parenthood, etc.) to avoid the ridicule, ostracizing, persecution and possible stoning because of her out-of-wedlock pregnancy? Imagine all the great souls who could have been erased from history and the influence of mankind if their parents had been as progressive as Washington's wise men and women! Will Obamacare morph into Herodcare for the unborn? America doesn't need to turn the page on culture wars, such as the one on abortion. It needs to reopen the pages of its history to our Founders' elevated views of and rights for all human beings (including those in the womb), as documented in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. We need to revive and re-instill their value of humanity back into society, our children and our children's children. And most of all, Washington needs to run our government as Thomas Jefferson outlined in an 1809 letter: 'The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.'" --columnist Chuck Norris

Faith & Family

"The New York Times recently revealed that, before abandoning the idea, Barack and Michelle Obama had considered eliminating The White House's traditional nativity scene as part of an effort to celebrate a 'non-religious' Christmas. In light of that story, it wasn't entirely surprising to learn that this year, for the first time, the President's Christmas card contains neither any mention of Christmas itself nor a quote from the New Testament. Obviously, the Obamas aren't fans of overt displays of Christian religiosity. The White House has told Fox News Radio that the card represents nothing but an attempt to recognize that Americans are celebrating other holidays at this time of year -- not just Christmas. No doubt that approach is imbued with politically-correct, multicultural sensitivity, but it also, perhaps, reflects a world view that's out-of-step with most regular Americans -- and even America's heritage. For starters, the use of the term 'Christmas' doesn't seem to be as offensive as the politically correct would have us believe. A recent Rasmussen Report found that fully 72% of Americans preferred 'Merry Christmas,' compared to 22% who favored a more generic greeting, like 'Happy Holidays.' And a December 2008 USA Today/Gallup poll found that 93% of Americans celebrate Christmas. How offended could Americans be by a reference to a holiday that they themselves are celebrating? ... So permit me to say what the Obamas' card does not: Merry Christmas." --columnist Carol Platt Liebau

Culture

"The most important question any society must answer is: How will we make good people? That is the question Judeo-Christian values have grappled with. There are many and profound theological and practical differences between Judaism and Christianity. But in the American incarnation of Judeo-Christian values -- and America is really the one civilization that developed an amalgamation of Jewish and Christian values -- the emphasis has been on individual character. One cannot make a good society if one does not begin with the arduous task of making good individuals. Both Judaism and Christianity begin with the premise that man is not basically good and therefore regard man's nature as the root of cause of evil. ... When society blames evil on forces outside the individual rather than on the individuals who perpetrate evil, society will work to change those forces rather than work to improve the character of individuals. That is a key to understanding why the left constantly attempts to radically change society -- how else make a better world? ... There is no federal budget, no Senate or House bill, no social policy, no health care fix that can do as much good as a society that is filled with decent people." --columnist Dennis Prager

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The Gift of Liberty

For last-minute shoppers, there is no better gift than the gift of Liberty. Help ensure that your loved ones will continue to enjoy the blessings of Liberty that our Creator has bestowed upon us. So that we may effectively battle the enemies of what you hold dear, make a secure online donation today to The Patriot's 2009 Annual Fund. If you prefer to support us by mail, please use our printable donor form.

Thank you and God bless!

Nate Jackson
Managing Editor

The Gipper

"The Nativity story of nearly 20 centuries ago is ... is the fulfillment of age-old prophecies and the reaffirmation of God's great love for all of us. Through a generous Heavenly Father's gift of His Son, hope and compassion entered a world weary with fear and despair and changed it for all time. On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ with prayer, feasting, and great merriment. But, most of all, we experience it in our hearts. For, more than just a day, Christmas is a state of mind. It is found throughout the year whenever faith overcomes doubt, hope conquers despair, and love triumphs over hate. It is present when men of any creed bring love and understanding to the hearts of their fellow man. The feeling is seen in the wondrous faces of children and in the hopeful eyes of the aged. It overflows the hearts of cheerful givers and the souls of the caring. And it is reflected in the brilliant colors, joyful sounds, and beauty of the winter season. Let us resolve to honor this spirit of Christmas and strive to keep it throughout the year." --Ronald Reagan

Opinion in Brief

"Assume you are a scientist and have been given a major financial grant to prove that the mythical unicorn really did exist. You know that as long as you can demonstrate some progress in showing the unicorn might have existed, your financial grant will be renewed each year, provided some other scientist does not come out with substantial evidence that the unicorn could not have existed. Under such conditions, you would have a very strong incentive to disregard much of the evidence that the unicorn could not have existed and each year provide only the data that could demonstrate that the unicorn might have existed. You also would have a very strong incentive to attack any scientist who raised serious questions or provided evidence that the unicorn could not have existed. You even might go so far as to refer to them with the disparaging term 'unicorn deniers' and attempt to use your influence with other scientists who also are receiving grants dependent on the existence of the unicorn to try to prevent the unicorn deniers from publishing their findings in well-regarded scientific journals. The recently released e-mails (by whistleblowers or hackers, depending on your prejudice) between some of the best-known scientists behind global warming showed that they succumbed to the all-too-human tendency to protect their turfs and pocketbooks, despite the evidence." --columnist Richard W. Rahn

Political Futures

"Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress have drawn sharp ideological lines with Republicans -- divisions understood best by each side's strongest partisan supporters. For Democrats, Republicans are 'standing in the way' of needed reforms. For Republicans, Democratic policies represent European-style government meddling. To many Republicans and conservatives, 'bipartisanship' in this type of environment is code for government doing even more. After a year of bailouts, czars, government takeovers, spending sprees and huge debt, many self-identified Republicans and conservative-to-moderate-leaning independents think more bipartisan success is not necessarily accomplishment or a positive outcome. So expect the paradox of partisanship to continue. While many will undoubtedly call for the machinery of Congress to operate smoothly, many important constituents will reward those who throw sand in the gears." --columnist Gary Andres

For the Record

"He campaigned against private sector economic mismanagement, and the 'harsh realities' of global capitalism. He pledged during his campaign to end corruption in both the government, and the private sector. He campaigned against private sector economic mismanagement, and the 'harsh realities' of global capitalism. He pledged during his campaign to end corruption in both the government, and the private sector. After he took office, he claimed that he had 'inherited' the worst economic situation in his country's recent history. And then, the new President sought to consolidate his power. Once privately-owned enterprises became government-owned and operated entities, and were 'restructured' so as to become, essentially, 'workers' cooperatives.' Not surprisingly, unemployment remained persistently high, even as the new was implementing his much-celebrated 'reform' measures. And while private citizens had to struggle with the worsening economic conditions, government officials nonetheless continued to exert increasing levels of control over the nation's wealth, and also continued to enrich themselves from that wealth, despite the suffering of 'the governed.' Does this seem like a description of the first 11 months of the Obama Presidency? What I've described here thus far portrays the conduct of President Obama and members of his Administration fairly succinctly. Yet, this is actually a description of the ascendency of Hugo Chavez, the once freely elected President and now rapidly-morphing-into-a-dictator of Venezuela." --columnist Austin Hill

The Last Word

"Maybe when national universal health care fails, we'll be able to go international. Then interplanetary -- then interstellar! Why should I pay for my gall bladder surgery when some Venusian could? Eighty-five percent of Americans are happy with their health care, but Democrats have a plan to make it worse for more money. As a bonus, national health care will add trillions of dollars to the national debt, and your insurance rates will skyrocket. Democrats are being utterly disingenuous to say that you won't have to leave your current plan under national health care. Maybe, but it won't be your choice: Your employer will be making that decision for you. Recall that one of the big selling points of national health care is that it is supposed to reduce costs for American businesses. The only way national health care will make American companies 'more competitive' is if they dump their employees into the public health care system. It's so weird! We expected X number of people to show up for health care and instead 75X showed up! Yeah, just like every other government program in the history of the world. Ten years from now, we'll be talking about cost overruns of $6 trillion -- but by then, national health care will be an untouchable 'third rail' of politics, just as Medicare is now. (Ironically, injuries sustained from actually touching the third rail won't be covered under ObamaCare.) As with Medicare, voters will be terrified to go back to even the wisp of a free market system we have now, afraid that they'll never be able to get health insurance without the government providing it. Having been dragged unwillingly into the government plan, how will a 58-year-old be able to leave the public system and get insurance on the free market? ... The only solution will be for the government to keep running up gigantic deficits and raising taxes on 'the rich,' which, in turn, will stifle job creation and economic growth in a phenomenon known to economists as 'the Carter years.' In addition to forcing Americans into dealing with surly government workers in order to obtain medical care, sooner or later, there's no free lunch." --columnist Ann Coulter