Published: June 27, 2009 09:14 pm      

Dark days for liberty

The U.S. House of Representatives, at the urging of President Barack Obama and speaker Nancy Pelosi, passed the so-called “cap and trade” energy policy on Friday. With a minimum of study and debate, the Democratic majority OK’d a massive piece of legislation which has the potential to greatly retard the U.S. economy and raise the cost of energy for average Americans.

The legislation itself is bad. But the haste with which the Democrats moved to approve it is even more worrisome.

Politics, instead of good policy making, triumphed.

Will the same script be used when it comes to heath care legislation?

President Obama is reveling in the power that comes with his majorities in the House and Senate. What’s more, he is using that power to successfully ram through highly important legislation.

Health care, however, promises to be a tougher nut to crack for Democrats.

There is more built-in cynicism about the government’s role in health care, both in Congress and the general population. Also, opposition to the majority party’s plans is better organized and funded.

We are very concerned that the American health care system is facing a takeover by the federal government. That is the aim of many Democrats, though they make arguments to the contrary, and based on the brutally effective way in which they moved to make “cap and trade” into law, we do not believe our concern is ill-founded.

These are grim days for American citizens who believe in limited government, free enterprise and individual liberty.

 

The Daily Citizen