Oligarchy – that system of government wherein a wealthy and privileged minority governs the rest of the society; typically trends toward tyranny and is usually accompanied by political and economic patronage and favors passed out to those loyal to the ruling class.
Could anything better describe the recent gyrations over Obamacare exemptions for Congress and its staff? Nancy Pelosi famously declared that we needed to pass this bill – Obamacare – to find out what’s in it. Well, we’re finding out what is in it, alright. And it stinks. Bad.
First, the crony capitalists running the largest corporations discovered that the employer mandate aspect of Obamacare might be bad for business. After appealing to the Emperor President, the employer mandate was delayed for one year so the tentacles of this debacle will have more time to become sufficiently entangled throughout the fabric of society before the real destructive aspects have a chance to kick in.
Next, Big Labor discovered Obamacare was bad for their members, too. So, the requests for waivers and exemptions began to pour in. Most of these requests receive rubber stamp approval, because of the favored position occupied by the labor unions. They are, after all, one of the staunchest Democrat constituencies, and a reliable source of funds via the dues of hard-working Americans trapped in that system.
Now, the latest insult – Congressional staffers will continue to be subsidized by as much as 75% of their costs under Obamacare. After all, who can afford Obamacare on a Congressional staffer’s salary? Oh, please!
So, now that we’ve passed the bill and we’re finding out what’s in it, here’s some of what we know so far about Obamacare: it’s too burdensome for Big Business, too expensive for Big Labor, and unaffordable for Big Congressional Staff, but it’s perfectly fine for you and me. We’re not in the favored position that these other patrons occupy, so we’re stuck with it. Is it any wonder why so precious few Republicans in Congress are willing to sign on to serious efforts to defund this monstrosity? They won’t be affected by it anyway!
Texans do not have to continue to put up with this kind of rampant abuse. We can choose another way – we can choose to be independent. And when we finally do become independent, we can choose not to impose a one-size-fits-all “solution” to our healthcare challenges. We can instead encourage free-market ideas that will harness the creative power of Texas entrepreneurs to come up with real solutions that work well for Texans.
