Failing On Purpose

Here I thought President Obama would change his modus operandi in his second term.  But his approval of 23-executive orders on "gun violence issues" this week shows that he remains committed to policies designed to fail--so that more extreme measures become more palatable in the future.

Nothing the President signed into law this week will prevent a criminal or a crazy person from obtaining a gun.  It will make it a bit more difficult for a person with a clear record and no history of mental illness from purchasing weapons--but those aren't the people going around shooting up schools and robbing people at gunpoint.  And President Obama is fully aware of that.  However, what it does allow him--and his Democratic successors--to say after the next high-profile gun crime is "Well, we tried background checks and limits on gun show sales but they didn't work.  Obviously the only alternative is confiscation."  And the uninformed voter thinks "Yeah, I guess that is the only thing that will work.  Make everyone give up their guns!"

The Affordable Care Act is another example of "failure by design".  After a couple of years of skyrocketing costs and premiums--along with longer waits for less-effective service--everyone will be more frustrated with the health care system than they were before ObamaCare.  What will be the response from the President and the Left?  "Well, we tried to work with private insurance carriers and providers, but that didn't work.  Obviously the only alternative is a Single-Payer System."  And the uninformed voter says "Yeah, I guess that is the only thing that will work.  Government health care for everyone!"

And let's not forget our fiscal and deficit policy.  Tax increases that won't make the slightest dent in current or projected budget deficits were hailed as major "victories" for the President this month.  But a couple of years from now when the deficit is over 20-trillion dollars--and we still aren't close to paying for the multitude of entitlement program expansions over the past four years, the President will say "Well, we tried to get the rich to pay a little bit more, but that still wasn't enough.  Obviously, the only alternative is to have them pay a lot more--and everyone else more too."  And the growing percentage of those who AREN'T paying income taxes will say "Yeah, everybody else isn't paying enough.  Tax them whatever it takes to pay for everything I want!"

Some of you may be thinking, "That is such a load of bull--nobody would set out to intentionally fail at something just to get their way later on."  Obviously, you aren't a husband (or have a husband) who has messed up the laundry or the dusting so badly that his wife says it's just easier for her to do it herself from now on.