Fiatch

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Listen as one citizen politely confronts a Senator (emphasis added):

Largely, I think, people’s apprehension about what’s pending in Congress at this point is because they are unsure of what is going to wind up happening.  It’s a matter of trust and whether or not they are being represented in Congress the right way.

So my question to you is when Congressman scoff at the notion of reading legislation because they aren’t qualified or they aren’t competent to understand it, how can we be confident that those Congressmen are competent to re-engineer the entire health care system?

First, let’s quickly dispense with Senator Specter’s response.  He claims that he and his staff divide up the reading and do the best they can.  “We have to make judgments very fast…”  “And [somehow] every bill is understood by me before I vote.”

This is no joke.  This is happening.

Second, and more importantly, consider the Fatal Conceit at play here. Because we have allowed the federal government to acquire massive, centralized power, our representatives now confront a totally hopeless task.

At this point, they cannot possibly execute their duties responsibly.  A body of people this small in number cannot run entire industries including banking, housing, and health care.  It is utterly impossible.  They will inevitably squander resources, fall prey to manipulation, become corrupted, trample liberties, and do serious economic damage.

Let’s hope and pray that we can unwind this travesty peacefully before this fundamentally flawed design does irreparable harm.  Let’s also get to work fixing this damn mess.

What builds trust?  What destroys it?   What store of value is safe?  What happens next?  What are you prepared to do?

HT Instapundit

Really, I am at a loss on this one.  We are all, in fact, looking at a total loss at this point.

Congressman Conyers today stated:

“I love these members that get up and say, ‘Read the bill.’  What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you’ve read the bill?”

This thing is obviously totally off the rails. I’m sorry, but there is now no way around it.  With sarcastic self-satisfaction, this man just clearly and concisely declared total abdication to madness and manipulated machinery.

Our government is insane, and it grows larger, more intrusive, more damaging, more dangerous, and more oblivious by the day.

This government is morally bankrupt.  Soon enough, it will be recognized as financially so as well.

Old news that is not yet news is dangerous.  Prepare yourself.

What inspires trust?  What destroys it?  What store of value is safe?  What happens next?

This entire show is not complicated or even subtle. It makes perfect sense.  It’s just simple theft.

The NYT begins “Leaders in House Seek to Tax Rich for Health Plan” with:

House Democrats will ask the wealthiest Americans to help pay for overhauling the health care system with a $550 billion income tax increase, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee said Friday.

The proposal calls for a surtax on individuals earning at least $280,000 in adjusted gross income and couples earning more than $350,000, said the chairman, Representative Charles B. Rangel of New York.

[photo source]

Meet the new tax, same as the old tax via “Sin Tax Confidential: It’s Always The De Classe Products That Get Popped” in Reason.