Who's Your Daddy?

A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

This famous quote, generally attributed to Alexander Tytler, kept running through my head on Tuesday night as I watched two men allegedly running for President of the United States vie instead for the position of surrogate Daddy.

Each eagerly promised 'generous gifts' from the public treasury. In an additional act of self-flagelation, I printed, read and annotated the entire transcript, just to provide you with examples from the sorry laundry list in a complete and documented fashion. From Senator Obama:

"help for homeowners so that they can stay in their homes."

"...provide a middle class tax cut to 95% of working Americans, those who are working two jobs, people who are not spending enough time with their kids, because they are struggling to make ends meet." "...That's something that the next treasury secretary is going to have to work on."

"And that's why it's going to be so important for us to work with homeowners to make sure that they can stay in their homes.

The secretary already has the power to do that in the rescue package...the next president has to make sure that the next Treasury secretary is thinking about how to strengthen you as a home buyer, you as a homeowner..."[WHAT? This is Treasury's job now? Be afraid, be VERY afraid, of such a Treasury Secretary! ~Ed]

"But most importantly, we're going to have to help ordinary families be able to stay in their homes, make sure that they can pay their bills, deal with critical issues like health care and energy..."

"We've got to invest in college affordability."

"Energy...it's a strain on your family budget...I've called for an investment of $15 billion a year ..."

"...we're going to have to make an investment."

"...do something about the health care crisis...investing in prevention."

[Ahhh...'invest'...I see he's been talking to Michigan's Governor Granholm again. That's her pet euphemism for redistribution of wealth schemes. ~Ed]

"...making sure that you are able to weatherize your home..."

"...provide a 50 percent tax credit so that they can buy health insurance..."

This is, unfortunately, just a partial list - but it is representative of Obama's ideas. Vote for him, and he will 'give' you a house, health care, energy, college tuition...hell, he'll even 'make sure that you can pay your bills'. What a guy! DADDY!

But...not so fast, children. We have another candidate for Daddy; John McCain. What is he promising?

"...a package of reforms and it has got to lead to reform prosperity and peace in the world."

"...I would order the secretary of the treasury to immediately buy up the bad home loan mortgages in America..."

"...this rescue package means that we will stabilize markets, we will shore up these institutions. But it's not enough. That's why we're going to have to go out into the housing market and we're going to have to buy up these bad loans and we're going to have to stabilize home values, and that way, Americans, like Alan, can realize the American dream and stay in their home."

"Frankly, I'm not going to tell that person without health insurance that, 'I'm sorry, you'll have to wait.'"

"...doubling your tax exemption for every child from $3,500 to $7,000."

"...let's have the American people say, 'Fix it for us.'"

"...we may hand our children and our grandchildren a damaged planet...looking at the effects of greenhouse gas emissions...what's the best way of fixing it? Nuclear power."

"Let's have community health centers. Let's have walk-in clinics."

"I want to give every American a $5,000 refundable tax credit."

"...small business people want to give their employees health insurance. We've got to give them the wherewithal to do it."

"...that we should have available and affordable health care to every American citizen, to every family member. And with the plan that -- that I have, that will do that."

Well, then...this complicates the decision, doesn't it?

If you bought more house than you can afford, Senator McCain will buy your bad mortgage! Give you a community clinic! Affordable health care for everyone, tax credits for your babies, small business 'wherewithal'. He'll 'fix it for us'; he'll even save the planet! DADDY!

Good grief! How pathetic and helpless have we become that two men, both United States Senators, should think this is the way to appeal for our votes? Does it not occur to us that the President - ANY President - has no Constitutional authority to do any of these things? Even if he did, it is the Congress that spends our money, not the President.

If Mr. Tytler was correct, we are just one step away from dictatorship. We have the power to prevent it, but if Americans don't wake up and apply the brakes - NOW - we will have our "Daddy" government. Ask the people of Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea how that's working out for them.