Thomas Paine Was Opposed to the Health Care Bill

Not really, but it makes for a good title.  🙂

I just finished reading Paine’s Common Sense, and after witnessing some of the debate at the round table at Blair House and listening to the talking heads go on about utilizing the “reconciliation” process to force the passage of this bill, something that Paine wrote in the context of  his opposition to patching things up with Great Britain, seemed too good to pass up.  As it turns out, his words could be re-purposed in an entirely different context.  Since Paine wrote much better than I ever will, I’ll quote him, albeit out of context:

Though I would carefully avoid giving unnecessary offense, yet I am inclined to believe, that all those who espouse the doctrine of reconciliation, may be included within the following descriptions. Interested men, who are not to be trusted; weak men, who CANNOT see; prejudiced men, who WILL NOT see; and a certain set of moderate men, who think better of the European world than it deserves; and this last class, by an ill-judged deliberation, will be the cause of more calamities to this continent, than all the other three.

I’ve been stumbling across a lot of quotes like this that could be used in today’s world, both from Paine and others. Here is another from Common Sense that our current president would do well to consider:

Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.