Speaker Straus is leading the way on Lone Star capitulation to ObamaCare.
“Come on, cowboys and cowgirls. We do things the Texas way. We ain’t gonna spread ObamaCare like all the other yella states that have already caved in, and we can’t just refuse it – that just wouldn’t be Texas-y, ya’ll.
“Naw, let’s strike out on our own and grease the skids for ObamaCare like real Texans – like ornery cusses, in a blaze of glory.”
You see, our House speaker has a brand new ten gallon hat for the occasion, and he’s chewing on a piece of straw, just waiting for us to remember the Alamo and expand Medicaid.
On second thought, maybe we should do the other Texas thing – the part about never caving in to tyranny, no matter the odds.
Maybe we should make our mark one of substance, and not style.
For this job, there is no better phrase than that of our beloved first lady from the 1980s, Nancy Reagan. She was born in New York City, lived most of her life in California, and spent some pretty important years in DC. Those are some of the least Texan places in the country, but her famous phrase is the most Texan answer there will ever be to tyranny – “Just say no.”
The clever class is talking right now about how conservatives can’t just say no anymore – we have to offer an alternative.
Yes, please, Republicans, swallow the premise that the only possible government is an activist government. That should provide a strong footing to then go out and argue to get the government out of our lives.
You gotta love the guts and vision of the New Republican.
Wouldn’t our teenagers love it if we adopted similar policies at home?
Teenager: “Mom, I need a thousand dollars to pay for alcohol and drugs over the next month.”
Parent: “(Hmmm, I’d like to say no but the hot new parenting thing is to give an alternative no matter what…)Okay, look, I’m gonna be tough but fair here. I’ll be making the purchases, and I have to approve the drug dealer, and some of this money will need to go to a good cause…”
Remember when this administration offered us, as if it were a gift, our own federal tax dollars to pay for expanding the unemployment insurance rolls, the catch being that we’d have to start paying for it with our state tax dollars later, which is impossible without major state tax increases? Now is an outstanding time to remember that.
‘No’ is evergreen; the timeless political alternative to bad ideas.
Long live ‘no’.
–Policy paper with 6 reasons no Texan will ever benefit from Medicaid expansion