We arrived very early in the morning to Union Station in Washington DC. About fifty of us had the pleasure of riding together as a group to the event held on the front lawn of the Capitol Building. The Tea Party Patriots had sponsored an all star line up event to voice our dismay over the proposed funding of a new law that nobody in America wants. The Affordable Care Act.
www.TeaPartyPatriots.org
It was my first time in the city. I have passed through it on several occasions but never actually went into the city. Some of us gathered at the mall inside Union Station at McDonalds to coffee up ( I poured myself a stiff drink) and come to life after an all nighter down I-95. After a little while some one said to me, " Well, what's it gonna be Mr. Potato and Meathead"?..
It was going to a great day. We packed up and headed out onto Massachusetts Avenue.
I have to admit. I wasn't impressed with the city at all. Sure, the lighted dome was amazing to see against the dark sky if it wasn't for all the homeless people sleeping on the (now closed down) fountain outside the front door of the station. Wasn't the planet supposed to be healed and the waters receded? Or something to that effect? I had to check my pocket Transmogrofier to be sure I was at the right place at the right time ( I brought it because I had something to do later and it hasn't been working all that well lately).
No, I was where I was supposed to be. Tower cranes stood on the horizon like a backdrop to an X-Box game. All I could think of was all that Stiff-You-And-And -Us money floating around as every single one of those cranes stood idle on a Tuesday. I guess Unions have a special 'no work Tuesdays' .
Everything in DC is supersized. Some one should do a documentary on that! The police cars are more souped up and they are everywhere! The SUV's are bigger, hell, if it were not for the Ford and GMC emblems on the front grills I would never have recognized them. Even the Parks and Recreation people have monster trucks1 I walked by one dump truck with tires that came up to my hip and front headlights the size of commercial microwave ovens.
Americans sure do love their gas guzzling cars, especially the people passing the laws telling us we can no longer have them.
The Capitol Building itself is a sight to see though. Since I have an affinity towards history I thought of how all those blocks were hauled in on wagons and assembled by hand, block and tackle. Almost two centuries later there she was. Older, far more cynical but steadfast and resolute. I felt comforted that she will weather the mishaps of this Presidency as she has weathered those dumb asses from the past.
The crowd gathered slowly and for awhile we all wondered about the outcome. We would soon find the answer, By the time the music started I estimate about two to three thousand people were there. Crowds poured in as the speeches got underway and the flow of people did not stop as the afternoon waned on.
As I said earlier, it was an all star line up. More than a dozen Congressmen from all over the country spoke out against the funding measure to be argued in the House and Senate. Senators Ran Paul and Mike Lee gave stirring speeches and everyone chanted "Run Cruz! Run" as the Senator took his turn at the microphone. I do not care what people say about Michelle Bachman. I think she is a woman of class and integrity.
I just hope all the talk and impassioned rhetoric turns into action. For it is true what everyone says about Washington and The Beltway. They truly do live outside the realm of reality. They cannot fathom the difficult times Americans face. They cannot perceive how what they do affects the rest of us. They live a sheltered and protected life behind the gates. My fear is that nothing will be done and we will be forced to live with the decisions made behind those marble block walls on the hill.
I passed out cards from our particular group looking to create a Constitutional Amendment titled The Right To Refuse Amendment. Basically, what it is, is that government cannot force you to buy something you do not want, fine you if you do not as well as create a market system that puts the affordability out of your reach thus forcing you (again) to purchase what the government tells you to purchase. I do not remember how many cards and flyers I passed out. All I do remember is that I surfed the crowd with a stack of each and within a minute and a half I was empty handed again. I wholeheartedly believe in this Amendment for if we are forced to buy government health insurance, we will soon be forced to buy government food, clothes, housing, cars and anything else they can think up.
And trust me, they are always thinking up something else to tax and stick their fingers into.
RightToRefuseAmendment.com.
Facebook.com/RightToRefuse.
Nothing in the ACA has anything to do with actual healthcare, except how to charge more and provide less. Nothing in the ACA has anything to do with helping the (supposed) 30-40 million uninsured. Dozens of programs already exist for the poor, the elderly, single mothers and homeless people. All they have to do is shlep on down to the local welfare office and sign up. It will not curtail costs, save money and it definitely will not bring down the deficit.
What is equally sad is that all of this was done against the will of the people. Politicians carefully (and at times without lifting a finger) an argument amongst Americans that pitted class against class, race against race, gender and orientation against each other. It worked perfectly. On Christmas Eve while visions of sugar plums danced in our heads they slipped this one into our stockings. The ACA is now law. It officially implements January 2014 but we are already pre-paying for this power grab as we speak.
Now they need to fully fund it. Makes me wonder what they wanted the 2013 'pre-tax' for.. Must be for dump trucks with microwave oven size headlights to mow the lawns of the new Agency tasked to carry out this boondoggle. In fact, it is a desired plan of many members of the House to quietly slip in language that says they all voted against the funding but allows some (made up) rule that allows the Senate to remove the vote and fund it anyways
I also wonder how effective our protestations and marches, blogging, Facebook groups and speeches will be under the tank tread juggernaut known as Obamacare will be? We can always vote them out but given the high rate of Democrat voting shenanigans, how will that turn out? Cannot trust the Republicans either. More like Republicrats. Like a light beer, not as filling but just as delusional in it's effect.
As I wrote in my last blog, "The Ebb And Flow..." This is one of those moments where the tide of Liberalism crashes upon the shore and washes out the sandy beach of a Conservative America. Sure, the shore remains, but what is left is a rocky and treacherous shore line littered with the debris of what is left of ourselves, our nation and our Liberties.
....And That Is The Diatribe....
POSTSCRIPT:
I cannot thank enough everyone from The Worcester Tea Party for having me and my son along for the event. Special thanks to who ever chartered that bus. Ken, Paul, Matt, John, Dan.. All of you. Below are more links from all the people and groups I met that day who handed me cards, flyers, stickers and information. I will see all of you on the battlefield as we await the dawn...Christopher A.W. Maider.
www.datechguyblog.com
Competitive Governance Action at www.cg-action.org
www.tinshipproductions.com
www.untaxveterans.org
America First at www.AFIR.org
STOP SOCIALISM!!!!!!!!
Great post! My thanks go out to you Chris for all that you do in the cause of Liberty!
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