My Name is Kris and I Blah-g

I looked at this picture for a while this morning. I was thinking about these men….about those important days over 200 years ago when our country was born. This picture depicts the Constitutional Convention. Three weeks ago, I got to see the weathered pages and fading text of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. I walked those hallowed grounds where Washington learned he’d be America’s first president. I touched the marbled columns of the capital building and saw the desk where Jefferson penned that all men have certain unalienable rights which include the “pursuit of happiness”. There is no question, in my mind that these men were Divinely inspired.  What these men and those who personally shed their blood for the cause of freedom went through is reason enough to celebrate and shout for joy that I live in the most wonderful country in the world.Yet…this morning I mourn. I mourn the loss of ideals. I mourn the lack of civility. I mourn the loss of freedom. Some may say that I am being a little mellow dramatic but to these people, I say wake up. You have every right to be ignorant but your ignorance is infringing on the others rights to be free. There is a reason why these great men assembled a government of and by the people. There is a reason why when you visit the capital, you will find open access to them. It was important that all Americans know that they can at any time come and witness their government at work. There was a time when it was noble to seek elected office because when you did, you did so out of loyalty to your country. It used to be that you wanted to be the voice of the people. I mean, we count on you to go there and vote as if all of us are voting and you’d do it HOW we’d do it. That’s the point. But instead our politicians today are slaves to the special interests and their greed. Their lust for power means more than the common good. What happened last night was a travesty. It goes beyond just passing bad legislation. None of it was about what is good for America but what legacy a political party can leave behind. And mark my words, as time goes on and everyone starts to realize the price we are having to pay, we WILL remember who got us here. We will remember that it was a group of people who forced, bribed and cheated their way into a law that has chipped more of our free will away. They will pay with their political lives for sure but the damage has already been done.Details of the bill are starting to creep out… as alarmed as I am about the process in which this was passed, I am sickened with the knowledge that the cuts in medicare may spell certain doom for my aging parents and other elderly who will certainly feel the impact with their very lives. I am disgusted to know that when my daughter heads to college, she will have to look to the government for a school loan to help pay for it. Makes me wonder if college is worth it. By then private sector jobs may be more of a novelty and as inept as the government is now, a college education to go work for them may not be necessary. Why this little gem was hidden in a health insurance bill is beyond me. Lest we not forget, now we all MUST have health insurance. If we do not buy our own or participate in a government subsidized plan, we will be penalized 2% of our income – criminals because of our choice, yet we can murder an unborn baby with the financial aid of government tax dollars and walk free. If you’re unemployed and can’t pay for your own health insurance yet don’t fall into the poverty bracket, you won’t qualify for the government subsidized plan and that my friends is what they mean when they say “they’ve got you by the short hairs.”Does the health care industry need help? Yep. No unreasonable person would argue otherwise. There is no question that finding and receiving quality care should be available to all. But this was wrong on so many levels. To those who just don’t care about this political debate, your complacency will cost you. Yeah, this was that important. To those who blindly elected people based on what they saw on the outside instead of measuring the “content of their character” (thank you, Dr. King), you just got the change you voted for. Bet you never thought we had a bunch of proctologists run our government! And to those who championed its passage, there are so many four letter words that I’d like to call you and so many of you that I’d like to punch in the head. But instead, I’ll let my opinion be known at the polls — while I still can.