How many times over the course of your adult life have you found yourself signing your name to a multi-page document, then leaning over towards your spouse/significant other whisper, "Sweetie, let's just read all this stuff at home. There's plenty of time to find out what all that gobbledygook says later."? I'm going to take a guess: 5. Was I close?
That is exactly what your elected congress does each and every time they vote. "Oh no they don't!! They care about me and take the time to review each bill carefully. Because they only want the best for me." When was the last time somebody you voted for called up just to see how life is treating you? Let me take another guess: 0. Did I get it right this time?
Sometimes, you can believe what a politician says. Barack Obama And sometimes, you can't. Bill Clinton But what happens if a person tells a lie long enough? Do they convince themself it is true? Or is it what's behind curtain #2?
I choose to believe a politician is lying if his/her lips are moving and anything resembling, "to help the American people" comes forth. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. It's my responsibility to adjust the bs-meter after the first time. "But everyone deserves a second chance!" Sure they do. However, once they've lied to me, I get to set the terms of the second chance. See how simple that is? An important factor to consider in defining parameters for a second chance is: the scope of the first lie. Sort of a "who" and "what" was affected by the lie. A lie that perhaps takes 5 minutes out of my life to resolve may result in a week's grounding for the unlucky off-spring. And after those 7 painfully long days are finished, said off-spring is free to embark on her second chance ~ with full knowledge of what the next consequence will be for future infractions of truth. A lie that requires you and I to pay and pay and pay for the rest of our lives, well.........you begin to see how the scope matters. And sometimes, the scope of a lie is so huge, the one uttering it should under no circumstances ever be given a second chance to do it again on such a grand scale. Every politician who voted for Obamacare should be impeached. Or given a spin on the Exile/Head in a Basket wheel. There is much to be gained (not for you) by its passage and there is much to be lost (that's where you come in). They could have a second chance at being elected again, but until I saw how they handle a catch pole, I'm not too sure I'd even vote for them if they were running for Dog Catcher.
I don't claim to have the answers for your life. Some days I wonder if I have them for my own. But the one thing I know with every fiber of my being is that we have a better understanding of what impacts our lives than any knucklehead in congress does. If you want to provide healthcare for many, please do. And find as many like-minded people as you can. Just don't ask the rest of us to pick up the perpetual tab.
Of course, this is just my opinion. And as Mom used to say, "Opinions are like assholes........everybody's got one." (yes, she was a laugh a minute) Consider yourself mooned.
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