Pat Buchanan argues that the core belief of liberalism is being fatally undermined by the Veterans Affairs scandal. The Democrat Party’s philosophy for decades has been that competent, caring, compassionate government is the best system to address America’s social problems. The VA hospitals are supposed to epitomize that ideal—quality, government-run healthcare for those to whom we owe the most, especially following two of the longest wars we have fought—Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat asks, does anyone still believe that universal health care—a.k.a., Obamacare, jammed down American throats and modeled on the VA—is what’s best for America?
Furthermore, as Mr. Buchanan explains, despite the trillions of dollars spent on public education at the local, state and federal levels, U.S. test scores continue to tumble in international competition. Worse, the gap between black and Hispanic versus Asian and white is widening. To bring up test scores, schools have been dumbing down tests. In some school districts of D.C. and Atlanta, for example, principals and teachers have erased and changed answers for students. Charter schools represent a vote of no confidence in public education, once a source of great pride in our country. How many responsible, affluent or elitist parents (i.e., the political class in D.C.) do you know who send or would like to send their children to public schools?
Big Government brought us the sub-prime mortgage scandal that almost plunged America into a second Great Depression. The Fed under Obama has pumped endless trillions of dollars into banks, yet U.S. growth flat-lined in the first quarter of this year. Detroit is bankrupt, and Illinois and New Jersey have downgraded their public debt—all under the auspice of those who run state government. As Pat Buchanan suggests, government failures today outnumber its successes.
This week in NRO, Thomas Sowell, not unlike Pat Buchanan, outlined a number of discouraging challenges and failures facing our country. Go here to read, with dismay, Mr. Sowell’s percipient views.
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