THE RIGHT PAW
AUGUST 2009
MUCR'S EMBARK ON NEW SEMESTER
The MU College Republicans began their semester with a strong recruiting effort and their first meeting on August 25. More and more students are embracing the principles of a strong national defense,economic freedom, and the right to life. The MU College Republicans will be having several events during the semester regarding national defense, the economy, and health care, not to mention social events to bring people together. This will be a strong semester for the MU College Republicans to build on the chapter's recent successes.
MR. PRESIDENT, YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN
by Justin Smith
Summer always flies by too quickly for me, but probably not fast enough for President Obama and Congressional Democrats. The last few months have seen the president’s popularity reach new lows, due almost entirely to the proposed government takeover of health care. But soon Congress will return to Washington and resume debating President Obama’s increasingly unpopular health care bill.
During the August congressional recess, I have been riveted by the town halls across the country. Americans from every walk of life, retired factory workers, small business owners, housewives, have voiced their opposition to government-run health care. For participating in a dialogue with their elected officials, these citizens have been called “un-American” and members of an “angry mob.”
Such derision only deepens the partisan divide that President Obama pledged to bridge. Instead, Obama and his allies have scorned Middle America and plan to press forward alone on health care, without considering Republican ideas or securing Republican support. So much for bipartisanship.
In my mind, this arrogance has characterized the first year of the Obama presidency more than any other. President Obama governs as if divine incarnate; he can make no mistake, and his proposals are pure and just and absolutely must be accepted. His actions are more brash than bold. He refuses to compromise. He never listens to his opponents, resorting to personal attacks. For someone who was elected in large part due to criticism of the Bush administration, President Obama ironically is acting just like his predecessor.
I hope Americans continue to stand up against the government takeover of our health care system. Government does nothing well or quickly; bureaucracy is rife with incompetence and inefficiency. You can look at health care provided by the Veterans Administration, or the motor vehicle office, or any other facet of government, for examples. Health care will not become better if it is government run. Health care will become worse.
Even if it means we are an angry, un-American mob, opposing government health care is the right thing to do. And maybe a legislative defeat will humble our young president, for the better.
During the August congressional recess, I have been riveted by the town halls across the country. Americans from every walk of life, retired factory workers, small business owners, housewives, have voiced their opposition to government-run health care. For participating in a dialogue with their elected officials, these citizens have been called “un-American” and members of an “angry mob.”
Such derision only deepens the partisan divide that President Obama pledged to bridge. Instead, Obama and his allies have scorned Middle America and plan to press forward alone on health care, without considering Republican ideas or securing Republican support. So much for bipartisanship.
In my mind, this arrogance has characterized the first year of the Obama presidency more than any other. President Obama governs as if divine incarnate; he can make no mistake, and his proposals are pure and just and absolutely must be accepted. His actions are more brash than bold. He refuses to compromise. He never listens to his opponents, resorting to personal attacks. For someone who was elected in large part due to criticism of the Bush administration, President Obama ironically is acting just like his predecessor.
I hope Americans continue to stand up against the government takeover of our health care system. Government does nothing well or quickly; bureaucracy is rife with incompetence and inefficiency. You can look at health care provided by the Veterans Administration, or the motor vehicle office, or any other facet of government, for examples. Health care will not become better if it is government run. Health care will become worse.
Even if it means we are an angry, un-American mob, opposing government health care is the right thing to do. And maybe a legislative defeat will humble our young president, for the better.
Mr. Smith is a third-year MU law student,CRNC regional director, and former MOCRs and UMKC chapter chair.
CAN THE GOVERNMENT DESTROY THE CONCEPT OF RESPONSIBILITY?
By Eric Hobbs
As government has grown, there have been fewer choices for people in this country to make. Before, people were basically left to themselves to decide how to live, and their success was largely determined by a combination of work ethic and responsible choices. Today, government programs combine with the incessant need for instant gratification to create a society where people seem upset that they have to earn anything they would get.
Employers constantly are complaining that younger workers will take their paycheck, but seem unwilling to work. Many plans that President Obama has unleashed on the economy have not worked, but they also have promoted a sense of entitlement and discouraged the idea of making your own decisions and taking responsibility for them.
Cash for Clunkers seems like a nice idea on the surface, with gas guzzlers being replaced by fuel-efficient cars in the name of boosting the economy. While we already know that the government has not reimbursed dealerships and that sales will sag once the program ends, few have detected that this plan could contribute to the broader social issue of personal responsibility.
While liberals can often go into hysterics over the idea, conservatives can also acknowledge that a more fuel-efficient vehicle is better than an H2 Hummer, if for no other reason that it can save you money in gas. The problem is that Cash for Clunkers has steered people’s thinking by offering rebates for certain cars. Rather than influencing and manipulating how people select a new car, people ideally would be able to pick a more fuel-efficient car on their own, without the government telling them what the best choices are.
If they choose to purchase a car that will break the bank every trip to the gas pump, so be it. Instead, we are morphing into a nanny state where the government steers us towards what they think is best for us.
A similar concept exists within Obamacare. Personal responsibility is clearly a virtuous idea, but the notion of a government handout paid for by the rich completely discourages a strong work ethic and personal responsibility.
The reasons are twofold: first, the pride found in working for something and finally earning it is done away with, and secondly, Obamacare essentially punishes the rich, who more often than not are the hardest workers (whether it be by getting a higher education or gaining professional advancement), by taxing them into oblivion to pay for the handouts.
People would no longer need to take responsibility for their actions regarding healthcare because they know that Uncle Sam has a stethoscope and EKG machine under his top hat for you, even if you’ve lived in an unhealthy manner or wasted all your money.
What is the point of studying in graduate school and working long hours at a difficult job if your salary is taxed away and given back to those with poorer work ethics in the form of handouts?
You could have worked a lot less and still managed to get by. Strong work ethic has always been rewarded, but it inexplicably is now being punished. As it stands now, government has not destroyed the concept of responsibility.
There are those who work as hard as they can and earn everything they have. The problem is that their number is shrinking. If President Obama has his way, he could be key in destroying a key virtue and making us all dependent on a Big Brother system of government.
Employers constantly are complaining that younger workers will take their paycheck, but seem unwilling to work. Many plans that President Obama has unleashed on the economy have not worked, but they also have promoted a sense of entitlement and discouraged the idea of making your own decisions and taking responsibility for them.
Cash for Clunkers seems like a nice idea on the surface, with gas guzzlers being replaced by fuel-efficient cars in the name of boosting the economy. While we already know that the government has not reimbursed dealerships and that sales will sag once the program ends, few have detected that this plan could contribute to the broader social issue of personal responsibility.
While liberals can often go into hysterics over the idea, conservatives can also acknowledge that a more fuel-efficient vehicle is better than an H2 Hummer, if for no other reason that it can save you money in gas. The problem is that Cash for Clunkers has steered people’s thinking by offering rebates for certain cars. Rather than influencing and manipulating how people select a new car, people ideally would be able to pick a more fuel-efficient car on their own, without the government telling them what the best choices are.
If they choose to purchase a car that will break the bank every trip to the gas pump, so be it. Instead, we are morphing into a nanny state where the government steers us towards what they think is best for us.
A similar concept exists within Obamacare. Personal responsibility is clearly a virtuous idea, but the notion of a government handout paid for by the rich completely discourages a strong work ethic and personal responsibility.
The reasons are twofold: first, the pride found in working for something and finally earning it is done away with, and secondly, Obamacare essentially punishes the rich, who more often than not are the hardest workers (whether it be by getting a higher education or gaining professional advancement), by taxing them into oblivion to pay for the handouts.
People would no longer need to take responsibility for their actions regarding healthcare because they know that Uncle Sam has a stethoscope and EKG machine under his top hat for you, even if you’ve lived in an unhealthy manner or wasted all your money.
What is the point of studying in graduate school and working long hours at a difficult job if your salary is taxed away and given back to those with poorer work ethics in the form of handouts?
You could have worked a lot less and still managed to get by. Strong work ethic has always been rewarded, but it inexplicably is now being punished. As it stands now, government has not destroyed the concept of responsibility.
There are those who work as hard as they can and earn everything they have. The problem is that their number is shrinking. If President Obama has his way, he could be key in destroying a key virtue and making us all dependent on a Big Brother system of government.
Mr. Hobbs is an MU senior and MUCR Vice-Chair.
RECESS RALLIES ROLL RIGHT ALONG
by Victoria Craig
Recess Rallies recap On August 22, conservative voices across the country were heard loud and clear at the Recess Rallies in every state. According to the organization’s Web site, RecessRally.com, tens of thousands of conservatives showed up at their Congressional representatives offices to express their disdain for the health care legislation making its way through Congress. Nine rallies were held in Missouri and Columbia residents were in on the game. Though there are no reported numbers of those who attended the rally at Representative Blaine Luetkmeyer’s office, there are reports that numbers at Senator Claire McCaskill’s office were estimated at 300 people and Representative Russ Carnahan had a turnout of about 500 people. All over the nation people came equipped with signs, t-shirts, and best of all, their voices. It even made national headlines with Fox News and other media outlets. Though it may not seem like the rallies had an impact, at least immediately, it’s important to note the conservative opinion was recognized. Barack Obama, his administration, and Democrats in Congress hoped to push this legislation through before the August recess. It’s now almost September and no significant action has taken place in the House. Our representatives understand what this means to Americans and they will listen. But we can’t let up. Keep the pressure on. Continue to melt the phone lines and clog the e-mail system. It’s easy to see when conservatives strike a nerve with the Democrats: they become unhinged making outrageous accusations and stupid decisions. Understand the conservative grassroots movement was real. We had hand-made signs and posters. We peacefully executed our right to free speech. The Democrats, however, were the ones who were a collaborated, organized movement. They had professionally made signs and well-rehearsed chants to counter the conservative voice. It was Democrats that created an Astroturf movement, not Republicans. The Recess Rallies and town hall meetings have made a significant impact and raised serious concerns about this administration and the policies they try to ram though the system. Conservatives, don’t let up, keep fighting for our values.
Ms. Craig is a MU sophomore and MUCR member.
"The indiscriminate denunciation of the rich is mischievous.... No poor man was ever made richer or happier by it. It is quite as illogical to despise a man because he is rich as because he is poor. Not what a man has, but what he is, settles his class. We can not right matters by taking from one what he has honestly acquired to bestow upon another what he has not earned.”
-Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President, born August 20, 1833.
Sources:thinkexist.com,wikipedia.org, democrats-against-obama.org, http://www.thetravellerslounge.co.uk,bbc.co.uk/,
