During the Obamacare development process, we all heard about how this was the Big, Nasty Federal Government telling us what we could or could not do. Our freedoms were being taken away by the feds and this was sure to doom our country. There were predictions of death panels where doctors decided who lived and who got refused medical care. The lines at doctors offices and hospitals would be out the door. It would take years to get a splinter removed.
Those were the kinds of arguments against what is basically trying to make sure that people are healthy. When you get right down to it, Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) is about making sure that more people have access to health care that they can afford. But this is an important part of just living.
So a Republican controlled congress fights this tooth and nail. Spending inordinate amounts of time, money, and effort to derail something that works and that people like.
Other things that the congress finds offensive the minimum wage or extended family leave or letting women make their own health care decisions. Now, Texas has decided that big government SHOULD have a role in smaller governments.
On November 4th, 2014, the CITIZENS of the city of Denton, TX (just North of the Dallas – Fort Worth metro) voted to ban fracking within the city limits. I won’t get into all the reasons, but they are good reasons… not the least of which is that areas that have rarely experienced earthquakes are now getting them.
But the proponents of small government have decided that this is unacceptable. Cities should not have the right to make decisions about what happens within their borders. Apparently, the state is in charge of everything that happens and big government or not, the Texas government has decided that the citizens of Denton don’t have the right to make decisions about their community.
Yesterday, governor Abbott signed a bill into law that bans local governments from banning fracking.
Here, of course, is the difference. The city leaders are concerned about the welfare of the people and allowed the people to decide the issue. The state of Texas chose not to do that and took it upon themselves to decide what is best for those people.
When it’s something the government leaders like, then they will do their job and make sure that their corporate masters are in control. But if it’s something that they don’t like… well, they have to prevent big government.
Big government indeed.
