Herman

Cain

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August 17, 2009

You Bet We’re Crazy

Since April 15, 2009, I have been a keynote speaker at no less than a dozen events called tea parties, rallies or town hall meetings. I have even done live broadcasts of my radio show from several of these events, some of which you can view at “The Best of Herman Cain”.

Regardless of what you call them, the sentiment being expressed by people in attendance is not Astroturf or manufactured emotions as described by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The people are not wackos, paid plants, extremists or any of the other names used by the Democrats and some in the media to try and marginalize, demean, discourage and intimidate “We the People”.

But we are crazy.

We are crazy about the freedom to choose. We choose our religion, our spouse, our profession, our lifestyle, our doctors, and our end-of-life care.

We are crazy about spending our hard-earned money the way we want to spend it, if there’s any left after all the taxes we pay. If we want to set fire to $100 dollar bills on any street in America, then it’s our choice.

Social Security taxes we pay all of our working life are rationed back to us in the form of benefits, which usually represent only a fraction of what we put in. Most of us are not too crazy about that, but we are required by law to continue to surrender those dollars. The Social Security system did not start out that way, but that’s the way it is now.

The law to temporarily use Social Security funds for purposes other than retirement benefits passed over 40 years ago. Bills introduced in Congress to restore the use of Social Security funds for benefits only have been voted down repeatedly.

And now we are supposed to believe that a government health insurance option would remain an option, our choices in doctors and medical care would not be gradually taken away, and that end-of-life counseling would remain voluntary.

We are not that crazy! 

I include myself as one of the thousands of people who have turned out to say no to Obama-care, Democrat-care and “Cap and Trade and Tax and Kill” legislation. We are saying no to tsunami federal spending, members of Congress not reading bills before they vote for them and the all-out power grab by Congress and the Obama Administration.

The smallest event I attended had 700 attendees, while an event on July 3 had 7,000 people in attendance. The America’s Health Care Town Hall event on August 15 in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park had over 12,000 people in attendance.

That trend is happening all over the country, and it does not suggest a bunch of fringe wacko racists as some critics have claimed. And unlike the town hall meetings Democrats have encountered during their August recess, there has been no pushing and shoving, shout-downs or disrespectful behavior by attendees.

There has been a lot of cheering and applause when people hear something they support, and they support keeping their health care choices out of the hands of government bureaucrats. 

People are turning out to town hall meetings in record numbers because they will not have socialized medicine or any other socialist legislation shoved down their throats. We are not sit down and shut up type citizens. 

And if people get loud at some of the town hall meetings, it’s because their elected members of Congress are trying to sell them a Trojan horse instead of listening.

They will be listening in November 2010, and that’s not crazy.

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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