America's Reply to Big Brother

"Laws and institutions, like clocks, must occasionally be cleaned, wound up, and set to true time." -- Henry Ward Beecher, American Preacher

By Douglas V. Gibbs

In the face of an expanding federal government where the political elite believes it is in their power to regulate your speech on the Internet, regulate your food with a deceptively named food safety bill, regulate your energy usage through energy taxation and environmental regulations, ration your health care by imposing itself as the payer of health insurance, and feel up nuns and children at the airport, Americans have responded by telling the federal government, "Hands off!"

The November election served as one of the messages to the political establishment about how the Americans felt about the federal government's move towards socialism. Washington responded with a lame duck session that imposed more big brother legislation upon the American People than the two years prior, combined.

"Don't Tread On Me" Gadsen flags fly above car doors, and wave at Tea Party rallies. When inappropriately handled at the airport, a patriot replied, "Don't Touch My Junk." The Republicans read the U.S. Constitution on the House floor, and our response to the GOP should be consistent with our message to the rest of the federal government. "Don't screw this up."

Some of the sheep out there truly believe that it is the federal government that brings good things to light. There is a myth that if the federal government doesn't do something, it'll never get done, or it'll take too long to happen. But in any scenario, as with the teenager at home that can't seem to understand the complexities of reality, when you give the federal government an inch, they will take a mile. The best way to disallow the federal government from becoming an all-powerful centralized police-state is to not allow it a foot in the door in the first place.

The majority of federal functions are not necessary, or would be better administered and maintained at the State level. The only reason the federal government exists is to hold together, and protect, the union. Constitutionally, the federal government is supposed to be limited in its authorities. Otherwise, we run the risk of the federal system growing, expanding, and becoming a big brother system that dictates to Americans their every action from some government building deep in the bowels of Washington DC.

America's revolt in November, it seems, was ignored by the liberal left, and much of the GOP. Despite the reaction by the government, however, the election was a turning point. People who believed that there was nothing they could do about the rapidly expanding government saw a dent put in the federal government's armor by the Tea Party. The people have a voice, after all.

The process of taking back America will be long and hard. Americans have decided that big brother has gone too far. The sleeping giant has awakened. Fight the wars, move the mail, and seal our borders. But don't touch our freedom.

The Republicans read the Constitution on the floor of the House of Representatives because it's time to set the clock to true time again.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary