OK, OK... I'm running on the wheel as fast as I can...

Yeah. Right. I've been outrageously busy in many different directions (par for the course, I suppose). I *am* working on long post. Someday soon (this weekend?) I'll get it posted...

I must say - in the short term - your recent diatribes strike both surprising and familiar chords for me. Tough questions. No simple answers. Or so those who don't frequent LRA&H may think. We specially in glaringly obvious answers to otherwise untouchable questions.

Here's my short answers on recent posts - thereby giving you gobs of room to scream and holler, as I will leave out far too many critical details...

1. The Health Care Bill - Why the surprise? Of *course* the Act is un-Constitutional at its core. Since when have politicians and bureaucrats allowed their never-ending desire for power to take a back seat to the Rule Of Law? Didn't one of Ayn Rand's characters claim (paraphrasing), "What do you think those laws are for? We need more laws that cannot be followed without breaking them because the only excuse to exercise power is against criminals..."

My guess is that Republicans/Conservatives will eventually cave in on Democrat/Liberal PR pressure and agree to remove some of the more troubling provisions/requirements of the act, while leaving the more subtle (but more damaging in the long-term) parts in place, so they can claim, "we did something, and we do care". Thus, as usual, reaching for the emotional 'feel-good' and political preening will trump both common sense and Doing What Is Right. *sigh*


2. Death Penalty - Personally, I have no problem with executions - after a swift, prompt legal review to confirm the sentence. I even suggest these events should be made truly PUBLIC, so as to provide an additional measure of proof that "actions have consequences" to the populous at large.

However, I remain concerned that our legal reluctance to implement such a final sentence (in appropriate cases, of course) is a direct result of society's never-ceasing efforts in favor of what I call "the Oprah Effect" - placing group dynamics above individual responsibility in *all* cases (e.g., yes, it's a Bad Thing, but it cannot be his/her fault). Yes, I know the Great "O" adopted her philosophy from her mentor Phil Donahue, but she has pushed to ever-greater heights, so she gets credit for the label on the syndrome.


There. That should get your blood pressure up. Stay tuned.

- Steve