THE O’REILLY FACTOR
The Washington Post fancies itself a very influential newspaper, an opinion-shaper among the powerful D.C. ruling class. So when it editorialized last week about Rush Limbaugh’s commentary concerning Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, some heads snapped back. It is very unusual for the poobahs at the Post to involve themselves with talk radio. It’s kind of like Al Gore playing rugby: far too rowdy and dirty.
The primary point in the Post editorial is that demeaning a fellow American with personal attacks is not the way “a decent citizen” behaves. Fine. In general, that is true. However, there are times when evil must be confronted and vigorously attacked using very personal terms.
Of course, Fluke is not evil. In fact, she looks to be a very sincere young woman. Her argument for government-subsidized birth control should be debated on its merits. Whatever she does in private has nothing to do with the issue. It’s nobody’s business.
But Fluke’s announced sense of entitlement is every taxpayer’s concern. And here is where the rhetorical battle should be fought.
President Obama is trying to force health insurance companies to provide things such as female birth control free of charge. Of course, the companies will pass the cost of that on to consumers in the form of higher premiums. Since Obamacare appeared in the public square, my health insurance costs have risen by about 30 percent. If the Supreme Court rules this year that Obamacare is unconstitutional, which could very well happen, I doubt I will get a refund.
Fluke and millions of other Americans apparently believe it is their birthright to receive gratis contraception anytime they want it. But why do they believe that? Where in the Constitution does it say that we the people are responsible for the personal behavior of our fellow citizens? Paging James Madison! Where does it say that?
Besides, under Title Ten of the Public Health Service Act, the feds do provide free female birth control for Americans at taxpayer expense. You can pick that up in clinics all over the U.S. And if you don’t want to do that, a local Target store just three miles from where Fluke lives sells a monthly supply of the pill for $9.
The Washington Post is a liberal paper that generally supports government subsidies for social justice causes. With a $16 trillion national debt, the Post easily can be challenged on its editorial posture, and surely the editorial people know the pill issue is bogus, a contrived controversy designed to fog up the real issue: the imposition of the federal government on the teachings of the Catholic Church.
There is also the continuing advancement of the Nanny State involved in the Fluke case. I hope I am not getting too personal in mentioning that. Decent citizens have a right to know.
Veteran TV news anchor Bill O’Reilly is host of the Fox News show The O’Reilly Factor and author of the book “Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama.”
