It Can't Happen Here. Can It?

Over the weekend, I have continued my conquest throughout the web to make my point known about the health care reform bill proposed by the house, HR 3200. Presenting the evidence, and the relevant sections of the bill, but everywhere I go, I get the same feeling from the people I debate that are for reform. The feeling I get is that people deny what’s in the bill, or try to pretend that the sections don’t allow for such abuse from the government, because they are so attached to the hope that something like this couldn’t possibly happen here in the United States. There is a blind belief in this country that surely no one would wish to transform the greatest country on the face of the planet into just another lavish, oppressive dictatorship that would go down in history as just another failed country victim to a power hungry leader. And so many people refuse to accept this especially with Obama as that power hungry leader. So many people still see Obama as the charismatic, intelligent, ‘hope and change’ candidate that inspired them to hope for a better future. No one can deny that the man can campaign like it’s no one’s business. People don’t want to believe that their messianic leader would be tempted by the promise of unlimited power and control of every aspect of the lives of every American citizen. This is the stuff of history book, and world wars, it can’t happen here, it can’t happen to us. It’s not just oppressive government that people have this feeling about. Even things as common as horrific car accidents are things about which people have the “it couldn’t happen to me” feeling all the time. So it’s not so farfetched that people could feel this way about something that is supposed to be as far away and removed from our everyday lives as federal government. This isn’t a new thing. Throughout history, people of many countries have felt the same way. The people of Cuba, Venezuela, 1930s Germany, and the Soviet Union all thought that it couldn’t happen to them. They all had revolutionary new, charismatic leaders break through the political placenta and take charge, and radically change the lives of their countrymen and some changed the lives of people all around the world.

It can happen here, and it will if we continue to refuse to look to the past and learn from the mistakes made by other nations, and other peoples trust in their increasing government. One universal lesson that was known even 250 years ago is that the people will always know what is best for them. We cannot rely on members of our government to decide what we need and what we don’t. Because when we allow that, it is a short step from them deciding what we need, to them deciding what it is they are comfortable with us having, and at that point, we will be totally at the mercy of those with the authority to decide, without fear of retribution or rebellion, who lives, and who dies.