“The Perils of Too Little Government”—DVR Moments in Obama’s Healthcare Speech

Posted on 10. Sep, 2009 by James Devere in American Politics, Political News

Wait rewind the DVR, did he really just say that?  Here are two quotes from Barack Obama’s healthcare speech that are just too far fetched to believe and further damage the credibility of the plan.

“[W]e’ve estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system… Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan”

I don’t know what to make of this first quote other than it is extreme naiveté, ignorance, or blatant dishonesty. If any rational thinking person believes that the government will come up with trillions of dollars by reducing waste and inefficiency, then I have a $500 hammer and $2000 toilet seat to sell you.

But the cost fantasy is not the most ridiculous quote of the night. That honor belongs to a quote attributed by the President to our Founding Fathers.

[T]hey (our predecessors) also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited.

Weather this quote is actually from the writings of the framers of the Constitution I do not know. What is certain is that its use in the context of justifying the abandonment of the Enumerated Powers clause of the Constitution, and the expansion of Government control, is at best a stretch and at worst abhorrent dishonesty.

Just to contrast the Presidents belief in the “perils of too little Government”, here is a quote from the author of the Declaration of Independence.

“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”–Thomas Jefferson.

Tags: Abandonment, Author Of The Declaration Of Independence, Barack Obama, Credibility, Declaration Of Independence, Dishonesty, Founding Fathers, Framers Of The Constitution, Government Control, Government Results, Health Care System, Inefficiency, Medicaid, Medicare And Medicaid, Medicare Medicaid, Monopolies, Perils, Predecessors, Thomas Jefferson, Toilet Seat, Trillions, Wise Policy