Young Sexy Politics

YSP was started as a way to inform young people, to combat an ever-expanding and overbearing federal government. Many YSP readers have only been out from under their parents’ roof for a few years. They’re just getting their first taste of true freedom. But big government ideas and policies threaten that new found freedom everyday. They want to legislate, regulate, and control virtually every aspect of a young person’s life. This often happens indirectly, and is always predicated upon fear.

Fear mongering is nothing new. It’s as old as time. But in our time, it is used as a control device. Look at every issue we face today, and you will see the raging battle between fear and freedom. Take for example the stimulus package. We were told back in February, that America’s economy was in immanent danger of a depression. President Obama promised that if we passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus), we would not see unemployment go above 8%. Clearly that wasn’t true, as unemployment hit 9.5% back in June, and has not dropped significantly since. Turns out, Obama can’t see into the future… just like the rest of us.

Supporters of the stimulus now claim that had we not enacted it, we’d be much worse off. In fact, I saw Bob Beckel on Fox News yesterday. His exact words were: “The guy saved us from a depression! What more do you want?” Huh… so these people have the ability to go back in time, prevent the bill from passing, and see what would’ve happened? Come on! That’s like saying “If I hadn’t eaten my vegetables yesterday, I’d be dead by now!” There’s no way of knowing what would, or would not have happened. And with how the stimulus money is being spent, I would venture to say we’d be better off, had we NOT passed the bill. Although I can’t know for sure, I do know that Obama was wrong and money is being wasted.

Recently, we’ve been subjected to even more fear mongering, with regard to healthcare reform. We’re told that if we don’t pass a public option now, millions of people will die and our economy will collapse. If we buy into that fear, we will be at the mercy of the federal government once again, with less freedom than ever before.

To understand how any federal government works on a macro-scale, one must look at how they behave on a micro-scale. In New York, all healthcare workers in the state are currently being forced to receive an H1N1 vaccination, or face losing their jobs. In recent weeks, there have been massive protests in the streets of New York, involving thousands of doctors and nurses who don’t want the shot. Good for them! It’s their body. They alone should decide whether a needle enters it, without the fear of being fired.

According to the CDC, H1N1 is no more dangerous than the seasonal flu. In fact, roughly 36,000 people die in the U.S. every year from seasonal flu! So what is all the H1N1 fuss about? Honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is… the majority and doctors and nurses are not concerned. Beyond that, many are refusing to get vaccinated, in an attempt to preserve personal freedom. Who do you trust more: your doctor, or big-government entities like the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Kathleen Sebelius, former Governor of Kansas, who knows nothing about science or medicine?

None of this is new. The Obama administration is not the first to employ such tactics. It was the Bush administration after all, that enacted the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Remember the anger that ensued toward corporate America? And rightly so! True economic freedom is the freedom to succeed, without government intervention. However, on the flip side of that coin is the freedom to fail, should an institution choose to employ unsound business practices. We should have let each and every one of those banks file for bankruptcy.

Supporters of TARP, like former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, claimed that these banks were “too big to fail.” He claimed they posed “systemic risk” to the broader US economy. Secretary Paulson was partially right in stating their size. Losing these banks would have been a setback, but it would not have been catastrophic. Besides, by giving these banks that were “too big to fail” large sums of taxpayer money, we only made them bigger! Now, the next time their out of cash, we’re obligated to bail them out! They are now dependent on us… just like a drug addict. We’ve set a precedent and painted ourselves into a corner. The message sent to corporate America by TARP was very clear: “Conduct all the risky business you want! The American Taxpayer will always be there to bail you out!”

Let’s not forget Dubya’s most infamous power grab: The USA PATRIOT Act, which stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Wow, even the acronym sounds totally contrived. I understand that terrorism poses a substantial threat. I get it. However, any legislation that allows the federal government unfettered, and unconstitutional access to the private lives of its citizens, is disgusting. Especially when it was sold to the American People, by preying on residual fear from 9/11. The PATRIOT act stripped us of our privacy and much, much more…

Now, some of the more ugly and unintended side effects of the PATRIOT Act are starting to show. David Bass is a Washington P.R. executive and founder of Raptor Strategies, a media consulting firm. Over his career, Bass has worked with the Weekly Standard, The Washington Times, The Hill Magazine, as well as The Departments of State, Energy, Treasury, Commerce, and Defense. Bass has also appeared on several cable news channels, as a political commentator. But thanks to the PATRIOT act, Bass’ mug shot now graces the walls of an FBI office in Virginia.

No, not because of corporate tax evasion, embezzlement, or fraud. Bass’ crime is much more heinous… in the eyes of the law. In fact, it’s equated to an act of terror. What did he do? He asked for a glass of wine, on a flight from Houston to D.C. When flight attendants refused to serve him, because he “appeared drunk,” Bass allegedly made “mean faces” at the flight attendants and assumed an “aggressive posture” with Police, who met him at Reagan National Airport. According to Bass, he was on a flight from Honduras a few days earlier, and had not slept since. Bass said he had also taken Benadryl, for an allergic reaction. According to him, lack of sleep and the over-the-counter medication may have made him cranky, but at no point hostile.

Obviously I don’t know all the details of this case. How could I? I wasn’t there. However, I do know that making “mean faces” and assuming an “aggressive posture” is not worthy of federal felony charges, which is exactly what this man is facing. His “crime” is punishable by up to 20 years in federal [pound me in the ass] prison. Is it just me, or does that sound completely insane?!

This is what happens when a government is bloated and overbearing. When the laws are numerous and confusing. When Congress rams through legislation… much like their approach to healthcare. Fear is a sickness. Freedom is power, and power must be transferred from one party to another. The only reason these politicians hold townhall meetings, is to convince you to relinquish your power i.e. your freedom. I know because I just recently attended one with Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado’s 1^st District. She didn’t listen to her constituents’ opinion. She only tried to sell us on the public option, by preaching more fear and promising her Congress held the answer to our prayers.

In the last decade alone, we’ve had our power seized by way of the PATRIOT Act, TARP, the stimulus, the H1N1 “pandemic,” etc. Don’t let Washington take power from the people on healthcare too. Keep calling your Senators and Representatives in Congress. Remind them of their recent debacles, tell them you don’t trust them with healthcare, and threaten to fire them.

Currently, only the most gutless, wavering, people pleasers can make a career in politics. That’s the nature of the business. These people have no spine whatsoever. You have the power, remind them of that.