Enlightenment Thinkers Don't Want the Health Care Bill That Might Enlighten the Public To Be Read

You would think that those who embrace the enlightenment would want their representatives to be enlightened about the content of a piece of legislation before they vote on that bill. All you heard from the media when the Republicans forced the reading of the health care legislation in the Senate was how rotten and evil these guys are. They decried how Republicans were just stalling the process. This episode actually reveals the truth about the enlightenment of the17th and18^th centuries and the revival of that enlightenment in 21^st century America.

When you think of enlightenment you probably think intellectualism, or a great emphasis on education. In one sense you may be right, but on another level the enlightenment is all about the dumbing down of the common man. Enlightenment thinking emphasized a renewal of study of the ancient Greek philosophers by a ruling elite, but in order to maintain control over the bulk of the population it is necessary to keep the common man illiterate. That is exactly what is going on with not only the health care debacle, but also most things that happen in Washington and the state houses across the country.

The liberal news media view themselves as a part of the ruling elite. This is why they are so apoplectic about the health care bill being read for public consumption. An educated public cannot be controlled.

It should be noted that everywhere the reformation went in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, schools sprang up. The reformers understood that wherever tyranny and education clash, one of the two must leave the field. The reformers educated themselves and their children as the major weapon against the tyranny that reigned in Europe at the time.

It is a good thing that Republicans have forced the clerk to read the bill on the Senate floor. Yes, it is stalling the process, but it is educating the public which is willing to listen to parts of it as well. This part of the process should not end with the controversial health care debate. Congress should not be able to opt out of reading the bill every time a new bill is introduced. When you consider the fact that most representatives are not even on the floor to hear the reading of the bill, this process should be carried one step further. No representative should be allowed to vote on any bill unless he can solemnly affirm that he has read and understands the bill.

The intelligentsia will object that requiring leaders to read the bill before voting on it will slow the process down too much. The average American will retort that there is way too much government in America already. It is estimated that Congress introduces nearly ten thousand bills each year. If reading the bill slows lawmakers by fifty percent, wouldn't five thousand bills every year be better than ten thousand? Not to mention that lawmakers would be voting on legislation that they have actually read and understand.

The purveyors of the new enlightenment will not like this proposal because it hinders their control over the process. Lest you heap too much praise on the Republicans for forcing the Senate Clerk to read the health care bill, remember that this is an anomaly. To make the process of reading the bill a regular practice you are going to have to force it passed the enlightenment thinkers in the Republican Party as well as the Democrat Party.