Health Care, Guns and Congress Critters

Isn’t it nice to know that whenever America faces a big issue, Americans can count on members of Congress to be there? For themselves.

Take health care. Corporate-funded front groups churned out a mess of lies to foment public opposition to Obama’s modest insurance reform, demonizing it as a “government takeover” of our health care system. It was no such thing, but that hasn’t stopped Republican lawmakers from making a theatrical show of trying to repeal Obama’s reform and “save” the people from the horrors of socialized medicine.

Yet in all their blathering, none of them has offered to save themselves from the horrors of taxpayer-provided health care. Congress critters get Cadillac coverage at our expense, plus they have their own in-house bevy of government doctors. Why don’t they vote to eliminate this privileged bastion of socialism?

Then there’s the horror of gun violence that exploded most recently in Arizona. In response, members of Congress rushed forward with creative solutions. It’s all about public safety, they exclaimed—by which they meant saving themselves from the public.

Republican Rep. Peter King of New York showed what he’s made of by introducing legislation making it a federal crime to carry a gun within the vicinity of a congressperson. Rep. Dan Burton, an Indiana Republican, proposed an emergency job-creation program that would consist of sealing off the House gallery with bulletproof glass. A couple of members took a bold stand for individual responsibility by announcing that they would henceforth show their respect for constituents by packing pistols when going out amongst them.

Don’t they do enough damage shooting off their mouths? I don’t know about you, but I don’t think members of Congress should be trusted with real guns.