Lest We Forget the Past Two Years

Samuel Adams, writing in a letter to James Warren in February of 1779, said, “If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved.” Our nation needs to heed these words and continue to remain informed and engaged. The tragedy of the Arizona shootings by a sick human being has provided Mr. Obama and his supporters a wall shielding the past two years of abusing power and ignoring the will of the people. A call for civil discourse is no more than code for “moving on” and not challenging the bad legislation that was forced on the American people by single party rule. The people must recognize this and keep the 112^th Congress focused on repealing legislation that threatens our liberty, regardless of how civil the discourse.

Obama Care is more than another expensive entitlement program that will bankrupt our nation and put future generations under heavy financial risk, it changes the fundamental view of the role of government in the lives of the American people. This legislation places the most private aspects of a citizen’s life and liberty into the hands of the government. The over reach of the law is far more that its constitutionally challenging provisions for forced purchases of insurance and potential for rationing, it legislates a dominant position for a central authority over the well- being and eventually the actual existence of the individual.

There was no civil discourse when this law was being debated. Mr. Obama himself, in referring to the outcry of the American people at town hall meetings with their elected representatives during the summer of 2009, said. “The people should just shut up!” Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House during the debate, proclaimed, “We have to pass the bill to see what’s in it.” The American people were called “Nazis” and “dangerous” and worse. All the American people were doing was simply demanding that their government follow their will. The people were ignored. Now, those who committed the atrocity want us to forget what happened and simply move on all in the name of civil discourse in honor of those slain by a criminally insane individual.

The only way to properly honor the victims of the Arizona shooting is to do what they were doing at the time of that terrible event – engage in the political process and demand that our elected representatives understand what the people want and to legislate based on that understanding.

Repealing Obama Care and replacing it with free market solutions to lowering the costs of health insurance is only one legislative correction necessary. Focusing on the run away authority of unelected agency heads and commission members, as well as the unconstitutional regulations they have been writing for the past two years is also a necessary corrective step for the 112^th Congress.

The Environmental Protection Agency regulating carbon dioxide, a naturally occurring compound of life, is pure government over reach and nothing more. The Federal Communication Commission’s desire to lunge itself into the Internet and to more closely regulate broadcast speech is a dangerous incursion into and affront to the First Amendment.

Growth restrictive regulation on the nation’s financial industry, in a classic case of locking the barn door after the horse has gone and making sure that the innocent are punished, would be amusing if not for the potential of these regulations to impede job growth during this difficult economic time.

Controlling the availability and price of health care; oversight of the content of speech and the distribution of that content; restricting the nation’s financial industry; and a myriad of other laws, regulations and executive orders were all designed to transform our society from one based on the individual liberty and freedom to one based on central authority control and collectivism. It is imperative for the continuation of liberty to undo this governmental abuse of the past two years.

Mr. Obama and his supporters would like to ignore the results of the November 2, 2010 Midterm election, but if the American people will not allow them to do so – they want at least to make stand all of the bad legislation and regulation they pushed through over the past two years. We must not allow that to happen. It is time for our generation to preserve liberty for the next generation of Americans and dialing back the past two years is important and necessary. The people should not be fooled by arguments to “move forward” and “let’s not look back” and recognize that it is our duty as citizens in a free society to correct wrong and then – only then – move forward.

Throughout our history we corrected our sins of the past from racial and gender inequalities to failed attempts at legislating morality such as prohibition. We have never been intimidated from correcting a wrong and this time is no different.

Let’s pray together for those lost and hurt by the senseless act of violence in Arizona. Let’s also honor them by standing together for liberty and the dominance of the individual over government in our free and God inspired nation.

Robert Allen Bonelli is the author of “Liberty Rising,” an accomplished business executive, public speaker and involved citizen.