The Slippery Slope

The slippery slope has almost become cliché; but it is the foundation for the slippage in support of Barack Obama and his health care plan as defined by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. When the slippery slope argument is made relating to health care, those making it get poo-poo’d. “Don’t worry about it, that’s not what it does!” we are told. Anyone over the age of 25 has learned by experience that when we are told not to worry, that’s when to worry.

A case in point is smoking. Now I don’t smoke. It is a bad habit that leads directly to cancer, stroke, and heart and lung disease. But look at the progression. Of course it only seems natural that the tobacco companies would be forced to put warnings packs of cigarettes just in case people missed the steady barrage of smoking warnings in every media venue for the past 40 years. Of course, given that second hand smoke can kill you also, it only seems fair that we should have smoking and non-smoking sections in restaurants and bars, and restricted smoking areas in buildings and the workplace.

But that’s not enough. You know the smoke permeates those barriers, and should be banned completely in the workplace, and restaurants and bars. Of course, who wants to go into a smoke filled hotel room, and hotels should ban it all together. Then it is just too big of a nuisance to allow it any public buildings, or any work buildings, so it is banned indoors altogether. Smoke outside, but not in front of the doors. Stand at least 15 feet away. No, make it 30.

But smoking is so bad, and such a burden on society and our health care costs, perhaps it should be banned in all public areas. No smoking in parks or sidewalks. If you smoke in your house, that smell could reach the house next door, so indoor smoking should be banned in your house; not to mention the car in front of you if the driver is smoking with his window down. And of course, if you have children, it is downright abusive if you smoke in your car with your kids…or smoking in your house if you have kids, so the kids should be taken away from you. Of course, if you smoke at home, why should an employer hire you? You may get sick and cause him to lose money, so it is okay for employers not to hire people who smoke…or drink. In fact, let’s just make entire cities smoke free zones, and you go to jail if you are caught smoking in your home’s bathroom.

Sound funny? It isn’t. All of that has happened, and is happening as we speak. Now let’s pretend that Nancy Pelosi’s health care bill passes, and the government is now in charge of, and paying for your health care. What if you are ten pounds overweight? What if you are 100 pounds overweight? What if you like eating red meat? What if you are eating too much pizza?

Do you listen to the food do-gooders on television telling you what to eat and what not to eat and why? Those do-gooders are ready to become the food police. They have done it to smoking, they will do it to food, all in the name of good health and driving down the cost of health care that government, translate the taxpayer, will be paying for.

What makes you think that if you put the government in charge of your health care…those same do gooders aren’t going to do the same thing to every aspect of your life if you don’t meet their criteria? The government will monitor everything you do, everything you buy, everything you put into your mouth. Those bad habits cause death and are a burden on society. They know what is best for you.

It is a slippery slope…and it is coming to you if America doesn’t wake up to what it means to give away your freedom to government. Do you really want the U.S.Supreme Court hearing cases to determine if a ban on you eating 2 Twinkees in a week is a violation of the Constitution? Scary, isn’t it?