The Irresistible Force

Watching the latest attempt of the liberal juggernaut to pass socialized medicine made me think about both the inexorable march this country has been taking to the left since the Progressive era of 1900-1920 and the ending point of that vision that is Western Europe today.

Liberals always think that they know what's best for us, so they will never give up their relentless push to take over more and more of our lives. No part of the liberal vision that becomes law is ever rolled back.

The Federal Reserve, the income tax, and the direct election of senators were horrible ideas in 1913, but they became law, and nearly a century later they are a permanent part of our political landscape.

The New Deal was a horrible idea in the 1930s, but it became law, and 70 years later most of its components are still with us.

The Great Society was a horrible idea in the 1960s, but it became law, and 40 years later all of its components (and many many more) are still with us.

And on it goes. One can sympathize with William F. Buckley's desire to "stand athwart history, yelling stop." And here we (conservatives) are again, at another crossroad, probably an even more important one than the three big liberal pushes of the 20th century. We must be the immovable object to counter the liberal irresistible force. We must not under any circumstances compromise, thinking that a slight retreat will prevent a rout. All this will do is embolden liberals to take what we offer and begin plotting how to take more. Health reform must not pass, with our without a public option.