Taxation without representation is still Tyranny
Let’s say a patient in obvious serious condition arrived by ambulance in my emergency department, dusky color, short of breath, unable to speak and clutching his chest. The paramedics have brought with them a folder with the patient’s medical history, list of meds, doctor’s names, etc. Also, they hand me their records with the account of the patient’s illness and why he called for an ambulance, the record of his blood pressure readings, pulse and respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, etc.
But instead of taking the time to review all this information and without doing a physical exam, I order a shot of penicillin and couple of Tylenol and prepare to discharge the patient back to whence he came. Did this unfortunate gentleman receive the medical care that he deserves? Can I honestly claim that he received the attention and care for which I am paid a substantial salary?
It is claimed that our government is a representative democracy. Most of the men and women that are to represent us and are paid exorbitant amounts of money, benefits and privileges to do so seem to think that they can cast votes without reading the bills that come before them, most recently the so-called “cap and trade bill” that was passed in the House or Representatives. They claim that they are sufficiently briefed by underlings and follow the direction of their party leaders and vote accordingly.
I ask you, is this representative government? Can we be confident that our congressmen and women are acting in our best interest if they don’t know first-hand what they are voting on? Of course not! No more than the doctor who leaps to conclusions without making every effort to understand the patient’s condition and diagnosis. If I were to approach my job the way most of our representatives do I would be stripped of my medical license and likely sued for millions, and deservedly so. How can we accept less of those who we trust with our security, our livelihoods, our freedoms and the future of our country? We have a right and a responsibility to demand more.
The web site Let Freedom Ring has begun a project that we should all support and should encourage our congressmen and senators to sign. They have produced a document
that has been sent to all members of Congress that they are invited to sign (see illustration).
It is absurd that we should have to ask our representatives to do their jobs, but apparently that is what we’ve come to. Those that refuse to sign this pledge should be held accountable because we will then know that they have no interest in actually representing our interests or that of our country.
Let Freedom Ring has given representatives until July 20th to respond after which they will post a list of those who did and didn’t agree to the terms of the pledge. I will also post that list here at Dakota Voice.
Note: Reader comments are reviewed before publishing, and only salient comments that add to the topic will be published. Profanity is absolutely not allowed and will be summarily deleted. Spam, copied statements and other material not comprised of the reader’s own opinion will also be deleted.
