Take the bills Congress is passing. Thousands of pages with regulations to follow. So quick with those regulations without the resources to enforce them nor the insight as to what the unintended consequences may be. Have you ever heard of an unintended consequence for the good?
We had it with health care. We're facing it with immigration reform. How do you reconcile a path to citizenship for people who have entered the country illegally or over stayed their legal permission therefore becoming criminal? Where is the line between right and wrong? How convoluted will this become? Will it be enforceable at all?
Take the recently failed gun legislation. They couldn't pass enhanced background checks. Of all of it that should have been the most elementary. Yet there is reason for legitimate debate on the type of weapons allowed and their capacities. What's so wrong with recognizing the founding fathers never dreamed some of these weapons would even be developed what's more in so many hands? Did they intend citizen militia members should be allowed any weapon carte blanche? I'd like a drone and a flame thrower.
Both last night and today I've heard pundits suggest we should deny all Muslim students from entering the country. I suppose Congress has the power to do so but what about those already here? Are we going to deport them because they're Muslim? And what about those who are citizens? I don't think we could or should. It's a quandry, though. That "M" word.
To escape the 'whys' of situations that are either embarrassing or difficult to sort out seems to be leaning toward, "What difference does it make?" Hillary started it during the Benghazi hearings. It worked up to now. What difference does it make? We'd like to know who was responsible for murdering four Americans and bring them to justice, that's what.
Sandy Hook? The killer was disturbed so let's restrict guns. He's dead so it's now moot, but if he and his mother were both what we'd consider abnormal, why did so few people know? Have we taken privacy too far? Isn't a lot of the information available on Facebook contradictory to HIPPA?
Boston. With all the evidence at hand Chris Matthews wonders if it's really important to know why they did it? If this is what passes for reasoned thought these days, no wonder everyone is so confused.
Mike Bloomberg, who I disagree with on a lot, is right when he says the country has changed and it's not going to go back to the good old days. Nor is the world. But let's focus on the country.
Of all the western nations that are hated by extremists, the U.S. is the most pervasive. Think about it. Movies. Where in the world can you not find a McDonalds? Our music. Our dress. Our personalities and the public, often tawdry, display of their private lives. It's an assualt on the sensibilities of those who find such in your face exposure beyond acceptability. Our intrusion into places we're not wanted.
They react by challenging our standards. When they find there are no consequences, not even a slap on the wrist, they become more and more bold. Then we get a Boston and are all aghast.
None of that is confusing. What is confusing is that by looking in a mirror we see victims looking back at us. Clueless as to what's brought it all about. Does it make a difference? You bet it does.
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