Today Barack Obama released a proclamation commemorating the 39th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the low water mark of American constitutional jurisprudence since the Dred Scott case. Obama’s proclamation was not widely noted, except in circles that take (as Scott put it long ago) the sacramental view of abortion. But I happened to read it, and was struck by this brazen bit of Obama BS:
As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters.
If that doesn’t provoke hollow laughter, you haven’t been paying
attention. Do President Obama and his fellow Democrats seriously believe
that “government should not intrude on private family matters?” Let us
count the ways! First, compare Obama’s declaration today with what he
said when Michelle Obama announced her anti-childhood obesity project.
Did you think that how much your kids weigh is a “private family
matter,” in which “government should not intrude?” Don’t be silly:
I have set a goal to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight. The first lady will lead a national public awareness effort to tackle the epidemic of childhood obesity. She will encourage involvement by actors from every sector — the public, nonprofits, and private sectors, as well as parents and youth — to help support and amplify the work of the federal government in improving the health of our children.
So the future weight of your minor children is a “goal” of the
federal government. Of course, that is just one example out of many. For
example, do you think it is a “private family matter” whether you feed
your children Cheerios and corn flakes for breakfast? Think again.
Is it an imposition on “private family matters” when a pediatrician
cross-examines your child about whether you own a gun? The liberals don’t think so.
You might be so silly as to believe that teaching your children about
sex is a “private family matter.” I won’t even bother to provide a link
for this one.
The subject of Obama’s declaration was abortion. But suppose your
teenage daughter can get an abortion without your even finding out about
it: is that a government intrusion on “private family matters?” Sure,
but one that liberals like Obama favor.
How about the electricity that your family uses? If you have a large
family, or one with a lot of computers and other electronic equipment,
you probably use more electricity than your neighbors, and are willing
to pay for it. But in many communities, there is a sliding scale for
usage, so that if you consume, say, 20% more electricity than your
neighbors, you pay a 40% higher bill. This is because liberals believe
it is their business how we live, and how much power we consume.
Electric power reminds me of light bulbs. Did you think that your
choice of light bulbs is a “private family matter?” Until a few years
ago, it would not have occurred to anyone to disagree with you. But not
today, as President Obama and his allies in Congress now dictate what
light bulbs your family can use to illuminate your house.
Disposing of garbage used to be a “private family matter.” Not
anymore. Every community has laws and regulations about recycling that
inject the government into your garbage.
One might have said that providing for your family’s health was the
quintessential “private family matter.” But that was before Obamacare,
which not only will require you to buy health insurance, but will
require it to be in a form dictated not by you and the insurance
company, but by the federal government, so that you pay for dozens of
coverages that your family doesn’t want or need.
Did you think that how your children plan their futures is a “private
family matter?” That isn’t what the Democrats believe. If you have
children in public schools, you are aware that they are constantly
bombarded with global warming propaganda. Several years ago, when my
youngest child was in the 4th or 5th grade, she had a homework
assignment in which a series of questions hectored her as to what she
intended to do in her future life to combat global warming. I was proud
of her when she wrote answers like, “I will never fly in more private
aircraft than Al Gore,” and “I will never live in a bigger house than
John Edwards.” (That, by the way, was before we suspected that Edwards
was destined for the Big House.)
Speaking of school: is where you send your children to school a
“private family matter?” Of course not! The District of Columbia had a
school choice scholarship program that allowed parents some discretion
in selecting schools for their children, but Barack Obama and the
Democrats killed it.
When parents think about private family matters, one thing that comes
to mind is babysitters. Until now, you could negotiate a reasonable fee
with a 16-year-old neighbor and, if you live in a neighborhood like
ours, feel confident that your kids will be well cared for. No longer;
not here in Minnesota, anyway: Minnesota’s Democrats are pressing for
unionization of all child care workers! If they have their way, you and
your wife won’t be able to go out to dinner without dealing with union
bosses–not because of your free choice, but because of government
intervention into private family matters.
The idea that liberal Democrats like Barack Obama regard anything
as a “private family matter” is ludicrous. As far as they are
concerned, every single thing that you and your family do is a proper
subject for government regulation. The doctrine of “choice” ends once
your child is born. If you think that there is some other aspect of your
life, or your family’s that is so personal and so private that the
Democrats couldn’t possibly want to regulate and control it–well, then,
you are a fool.
But Barack Obama utters bullshit like today’s Roe v. Wade
proclamation, secure in the knowledge that no one will call him on it
except for a few amateurs like us, who, for whatever reason, are willing
to spend our Sunday evenings calling the president on his whoppers,
rather than pursuing private family matters.
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