Jasper Journal

The last three days have revealed a lot about Rick Santorum and Barack Obama. In the case of Obama, I wasn’t surprised; In the case of Santorum, I was.

On Friday, the president stood before his podium and told us what a great compromise he had just created to protect religious institutions from doing what they considered immoral. In his lecturing, condescending manner, he announced that everything was fixed, and  religious institution’s consciences were spared.  Just one thing,  their insurance companies would have to provide the services at the heart of the matter at no cost.

Wow, what a genius! How could anyone possibly object to such a Solomon-like solution. And of course,  many in the mainstream media fell in line and declared the issue settled. It’s just those pesky bishops that demurred. They ultimately stated this was still unacceptable.

Of course it is. What right thinking person  would think that the administration’s sleight of hand in any way addresses the main issue: Government interference in private health care issues. His grand executive compromise, that only he created,  further exacerbates the situation, and now has the government telling private businesses what they have to do.

What right does the president of the United States have to tell private companies what they have to provide? And to demand that they do it for free?  Rich Galen, a political analyst and writer of the Mullings Report,  put it this way:” The Obama Administration has, by executive fiat, determined that a private company must give away its services to a class of people it (“The Administration”) has determined should get these services.”  This is absolutely preposterous!.

Perhaps it is good that this issue is raised again prior to the general election. This is just the beginning of a government bureaucracy controlling our health care needs among other things. I for one do not want the government involved with my provider or telling me what I must cover for other people; do you ?

Having said that, I come to my next issue this weekend. Coming off his recent surprising  victories in three republican primaries, Rick Santorum said something at CPAC on Saturday, that disturbed me.  He asked the audience if they wanted someone elected in November that was a principled conservative “OR  if they just wanted to achieve  a “Hollow victory.”  Whoaa… I raise my hand for a hollow victory if it means no more Obama, and I hope others do to. Clearly this was a shot at Mitt Romney,  but it says a lot about Mr Santorum. Would he rather we all go down in flames supporting him than  defeat Obama?  It really sounds that way, and gives me yet another reason to question Mr Santorum’s qualifications to be the republican nominee.

Last week we had a number of people weigh in on the Santorum rise in the polls and how that would effect their support for the republican candidate. I find it worrying that solid republicans and thoughtful independents have such unease about Santorum.  This is not a good sign. We cannot afford four more years of Obama, and the President’s tactics last week are just a sample of what he will try if he gets another term.