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In the Hans Christian Anderson tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, the emperor hires two phont, swindling tailors who promise to make him a set of remarkable new clothes that will be invisible to anyone who is incompetent or stupid. Of course, there aren't any clothes and the sycophantic mob that surrounds the emperor will not admit they cannot see the clothes for fear of being labeled as ineffectual idiots. Even the emperor himself is held hostage by his new wardrobe. For, he sees nothing but is afraid to admit it. As he parades through the streets in his "next to nothings" the crowd applauds and admires until a lone child's voice exclaims: "But, he has nothing on at all!"
I couldn't help but think of the tale today as I watched the modern day sycophants circle on Capitol Hill. Led by the foremost of them all: former President Bill Clinton. While extolling the need to pass a bill and pass it now he said: "It's not important to be perfect here. It's important to act, to move, to start the ball rolling." Who, but a feckless politician would say something that naive with such dogmatic fervor?
Big Lie #2
What the bill says, matters. And it must be perfect. When the politicians in Washington propose to take over a big chunk of the private sector, especially with their record in running things, we are entitled to expect perfection. So, when someone like Bill Clinton (who should know better) says, it "doesn't need to be perfect" my alarms sound and I am reminded of the emperor's swindling tailors.
We just need to act Clinton tells us. But, why do we need to act? Incrementally, how many uninsured will become insured under the bill? The numbers are evasive. The purpose of the bill is vague. The legitimacy of the bill is most definitely questionable. Yet, we move forward with all the certainty and the dogmatism of the emperor in his new clothes. The media and the democrat's fawn over the health care bill's provisions. Deny that the bill will add a dime to the deficit despite a price tag of something over $1 trillion. The emperor's clothes look lovely they cry.
Yet we know better don't we? We know that the promises won't be kept. That the estimates will be exceeded. And this time, it's personal in a way it's never been personal before. The power shift is staggering and the power grabbers have an abysmal record. Just look at the availability of the H1 N1 vaccine for a recent report card on the bureaucrat's execution in protecting our health. We see through the lies, through the wardrobe of new clothes they are peddling. We see the incompetence and stupidity while they continue to fawn and exclaim--Health care for all! Not a dime to the deficit! You won't have to give up a thing! No death panels. No federally funded abortion. No rationing. Plenty of flu vaccine for all!
They have overreached this time. But that will not stop them. Despite the fact that the majority of Americans don't support this bill, they push on. This is their religion.
The emperor's new clothes are no clothes at all. But who will have the courage like the young lad in the tale to say so?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/10/AR2009111017413.html
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