RoJo ignorant on Obamacare, civil liberties

Junior senator from Wisconsin forgets true assaults on liberties during his lifetime

Ron Johnson is a political novice, even while serving as a U.S. Senator for Wisconsin. Flashy talking points and exaggerated statements make for good campaign fodder, but it does little to solve societal ills or even accurately describe supposed "problems" within our country.

RoJo was recently on Bloomberg's "Political Capital with Al Hunt," a program that focuses on the federal government. Anyone who has followed Johnson knows the senator loves to say "Obamacare" is the single greatest assault on Americans' freedom in his lifetime. It is a Johnson classic; his "Stairway to Heaven."

For the record, in the senator's lifetime, America has endured segregation, the Cold War and the threat of terrorism (Emphasis added). That fact was not lost on Hunt, who pressed Johnson about his oft-repeated refrain and asked him specifically about the threat of communism.

"I wasn't threatened under communism," Johnson countered.

"You weren't threatened by terrorism?" Hunt asked.

RoJo paused, then said, "I'm talking about things that are imposed on me by this, by our government in America."

So Johnson believes that the health care package passed by Democrats in the previous Congressional term is worse than any other assault on people's liberties in the history of the United States.

Even throwing out the caveat that outside threats "don't count" -- a condition he conveniently adds only when confronted by it -- Johnson ignores (as was pointed out) Jim Crow laws, which undoubtedly restrained people's lives in much more direct ways than any health care law ever possibly could. It's troubling that one-half of our representation in the U.S. Senate disregards such a terribly dark chapter in our nation's past, all in order to make a great talking point.

In fact, Johnson has rarely stated, if ever at all, how this law is a restriction of liberties. For our own fun, let's run down the list of liberties that aren't affected by this new law...

* Speech
* Gun ownership
* Religion
* Assembly
* Warrantless arrests
* The right to vote
* Habeas corpus

Even property rights aren't affected by the health care law. Johnson and millionaires like him are free to pursue more capital, more income, without interference from the state. The health care law does nothing to limit that, and Johnson would be hard-pressed to provide evidence to the contrary.

Again, if Johnson wants to make statements that appear flashy and hit the gut of the American consumer, he's free to do so. But saying that Obamacare is an assault on Americans' freedoms is flagrantly untrue. The people who support Ron Johnson should consider just where his intentions lie, why it is he's so opposed to the new health care law. It surely isn't because of any assault on personal liberties.