“[O]ne reason the Founding Fathers decided to break with England was their dismay with England’s mercantilist system, which generally required colonists to purchase manufactured goods from, or through, England rather than produce them in the colonies. Hatred for this system inspired a Virginia farmer named George Washington to try to convert his colonial farm into a self-sufficient unit — where … he could produce and consume what he wanted without trading with others, especially those in England. The Framers, who had not forgotten English mercantilism, wrote the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to create a free-trade zone among the American states. Their aim was to facilitate freedom, not restrict it. … [Judge Henry] Hudson, while carefully staying within the Supreme Court precedent of Wickard v. Filburn, correctly understood that the issue raised by Obamacare’s individual mandate … is freedom itself. ‘The unchecked expansion of congressional power to the limits suggested by the Minimum Essential Coverage Provision would invite unbridled exercise of federal police powers,’ Hudson wrote in his opinion. … And you thought liberals believed in freedom of choice?” –columnist Terence Jeffrey

The Maine Conservative Voice wishes to congratulate Bill Beardsley on his recent appointment to Governor LePage’s cabinet as Director of Conservation.  Dr. Beardsley through his  stellar  career has accumulated a resume that is second to none.  His focus and resolve, which was aptly displayed during his tenure at Husson College, now a University, is just the antidote Maine needs to reclaim the natural resources from being a detriment to the economy of the State of Maine but perhaps now a future asset.  MCV also commends the hard work of the LePage transition team which has been exemplary in their work to prepare the Governor to hit the ground running at his inauguration January 5th.  The more we see of the Governor the more we can hope for a brighter future for Maine.

So the snare is set with a tasty bait to draw the unsuspecting in.  The first order of business is to entice the prey to the snare.  In order to accomplish this, the suspecting must be converted to the unsuspecting.  Nothing can be more frustrating to the fowler than a suspicious little prize that is convinced that all is not what it seems to be.  If the little feathered delicacy simply flits and flutters around the temptation then wisely flies away to a safer feeding ground, the hunter is left with an empty snare and an empty stomach.  No, no, if said hunter wishes to feast upon a perfectly seasoned bird for his evening supper, his prey must be convinced that the bait laid out for him belongs to him and the atmosphere surrounding that bait is just as it should be.

Regrettably, we the people have been blindly feeding on that bait for years now.  We have had our senses dulled by the arguments by the left convincing us that government is wiser and more adept at handling our every day needs.  Slowly, little by little, we have relinquished control to the government exposing the snare bit by bit.  Our reflexes slowed by drunken consumption, we were unable to react in time as the trap of ObamaCare was sprung.  Now here we sit, railing against its unfair constrictions yet brutally confined by its laws.

What was the bait?  When the leaders of the Soviet Union promised our grandfathers that their grandchildren would embrace socialism, the Nation at that time scoffed at the idea.  The Nation braced itself for inevitable conflict believing that was the only way subjugation could be accomplished.  The expected invasion never came.  Instead, our enemies used a tactic we were too proud to acknowledge.  Our greatest strength could also be our greatest weakness.

Americans have always been proud of their unity.  They are fiercely loyal to their fellow Americans.  If the citizens of this great nation can be convinced that an ideal is a worthy pursuit for the betterment of their fellow man, they will ardently support its culmination.   But this great strength has been our undoing.

Some years ago, Progressives convinced America that the weakest among us needed government care.  We agreed, and, at its basic premise, many people still agree.  The ensuing programs we agreed to, in true liberal fashion, were crafted with vague ambiguous language.  These policies were left open ended and, now, have been subjected to every abuse imaginable.  They have been manipulated to include every “weakest among us” people group that can find a therapist to validate their “issues”.

Americans are now shocked and infuriated to see that they stand bound by their own compassion.  Progressives have used American ideals to dupe caring citizens.  Next week we will see in detail the shocking irony of the new HealthCare plan.  We’ll see how the real “least of these” are being sacrificed for a Democrat agenda.   We must be willing to relearn the lessons our grandfathers tried to teach us.  If you can’t pay for it, you can’t have it.  Sometimes the truth is so simple.

The cloak of a double standard has settled over the shoulders of the Maine Republican Party and seems to have been tailored to fit.  The GOP have been busy scurrying about trying to cover up their own ineptitude while expending vast amounts of energy trying to convince the people of Maine that they should abandon their own standards and lower their expectations to match those of the Republican House leadership.  When gazing into the looking glass of truth, Republican Representatives can come away with the unsettling realization that they are nothing more than a mirrored replication of the very thing they piously railed against on the campaign stump.  The Party of majority may find its powder drenched with the moisture of duplicity when it tries to fire off critical salvos aimed at exposing their opponent’s corruption.

The House leadership has chosen to ignore the will of the people and force-feed a scandal riddled Representative down the throats of an angry unwilling public for Speaker.  They have chosen to set aside standards to put the Party first.  Representative Robert Nutting has taken this travesty one step further by putting his personal ambition above the well being of the State.  Any Representative who puts Party and personal ambition above the trust of the residents of the State of Maine is not worthy of said trust.  When Republican leaders look in the mirror, can they see the same detached arrogance Maine rejected in November staring them in the face?