Testing the Waters

Testing the Waters

Bath time with the kids is always an adventure, from earplugs to tangled hair to the inevitable wet floor. My son can't wait to jump in the tub and splash around. My daughter, however, has always been more cautious, carefully sticking her toes in first to test the temperature of the water. She doesn't want it to be too hot or too cold; she wants it to be just right (Goldilocks and the three bears come to mind, but I digress).

It seems the Obama administration is doing just that - they are testing the waters to see just how deep they can wade in while promoting the ideals of socialism (and let's be perfectly honest, they are following the playbook nicely) before they dive in completely. If they go too quick, the chances for re-election and marble effigies dwindle. If they go too slow, the Democrats may miss their opportunity while they still hold the keys to both Houses of Congress and the White House (2010 is shaping up to be fun). The Democrats and this administration are surgically working through their long standing belief that increased government control will dictate fairness and equality and to them, create progress and success. They want to see just how far the American people are willing to be pushed without creating an insurmountable backlash while continuing to craft and implement their plans.

The administration started immediately upon swearing in (perhaps even before given the Democrat controlled Congress and a lame duck President under fire) with the call to pass the Stimulus Plan. We all heard the passionate pleas. This was out of national need, we were told, while they rattled their sabers and promoted political doom and gloom scare tactics. The result was $787 billion of spending (which we can't back in the treasury) and a national debt that grows larger day after day.

Then came the auto industry collapse and in came Obama riding in on his white horse to save the day. The bailouts were injected, the industry was demonized, and Obama came out of the deal as POTUS and CEO of our new government automaker.

Next, the administration and Congress have sought to increase regulations and taxation on energy providers in an already tight economy and under challenging times as these same companies are being asked to do more with less. Cap and trade is a not so subtle attempt to align us with the liberal energy policies of Europe and Asia. Call it Global Warming 101. You think your power bill is high now, just wait my friends; you ain't seen nothing yet (pardon the slang).

The great debate of our day has followed - healthcare. It has taken center stage this summer. The administration tossed it out there and has steadily back tracked as citizens have in mass loudly opposed much of the reforms. Yet a bill still looms for a possible late fall or early winter vote. Word out of the White House is that they will present a bill if Congress can't agree on one. The old adage says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and this administration will take every step, every inch it seems that we'll give them. They'll use emotion, passion, promises, politics, and altered facts and figures all to sell their reforms so that we as citizens will buy into them. Truman once said, "If you can't convince them, confuse them.". The administration is ascribing to this philosophy well. Increased national debt, higher taxes, a single payer "trigger option" system, and the eventual collapse of the entire medical insurance industry and perhaps many private medical practices will be the result of this current proposal.

Now comes a nationwide back-to-school address from the President to all of our school children. On the surface this sounds like a great lesson in civics and an opportunity to take part in history. But when the administration put out lesson plans encouraging teachers to follow with their classes, complete with questions asking how each child could help the President, instead of the country, eyebrows were raised. Reagan and Bush Sr. both offered classroom videos and both were met with equal resistance from the opposition party. But now, it's the conservatives questioning the anointed one's school room address, not for what Obama will say (a stay in school message is always welcome), but for what he and his administration propagate and imply through their promotional materials and the suspect timing of the address (on the heels of declining approval ratings, heated public forums, new Congressional session, etc.).

In each of these cases, the boundaries of our Republic are being pushed. They are inching us toward bigger government at grave costs, possibly even the beginnings of socialism. Big government is not the answer. Hard work, individual responsibility, care and compassion for your fellow man, and a sense of pride in your city, state, and nation can guide us back to our Republic's foundation. Government should provide the opportunity for all to succeed, not ensure our success through mandated reforms that increasingly regulate individual lives, the private sector, and play Robin Hood with our tax dollars. Yet, most of us sit idly by hoping for the best with no real commitment to resist and no true care to understand the facts.

Don't be fooled by the pretty packages. Now is not the time for the faint of heart. We must not let down our guard. The administration is indeed testing the water. Unfortunately, in many places across our land, the water is warming to such ideals. How will they find it near you?

Frank Corder,
Pascagoula City Councilman
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T