I will admit it. I am a subscriber to the Claremont Review of Books. Whatever you make of that, don’t imagine that I am one of those pointy-headed, University types that sit about in tweed jackets with leather elbow patches, drawing on a pipe, and pontificating about the Greek Classics. On the other hand, I ain’t no anti-intellectual neither. Just consider me one of those fellows that knows just enough to be dangerous.

In any case, one thing that always strikes me about The CRB is that I always find at least one article that proves to me that while eggheads might make for wonderful support for policy, that they may be ideal for an intellectual underpinning of ideas, they would be horrible implementers of it should they be the ones in charge– yes even those ostensibly on our own side of the issues. As it happens, the Winter issue of the CRB did not disappoint me in this area.

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This morning I received an email from the RNC asking for my input about the “state of the Republican Party” and, then of course, for a contribution. I gave my input, but they will not be getting any of my money. They simply would waste it, trotting after the latest theory of some pet consultant or Washington egomaniac telling them they need to “be for something.”

Republicans often find themselves trying to figure out the primary reasons for the Party’s collapse since its high point (at least on paper) in 2004. And while there are a lot of good arguments… one needn’t look much further than last night’s vote on the “Serve America Act” to get a glimpse of the Party’s rot at its core.

This pathetic vote shows you how far the Party has slid from principle toward expedience and mediocrity. This is what the Party has become… a group of Washington insiders more interested in self-promotion and feel-good talking points than in promoting freedom, personal (and familial) responsibility, self-reliance, limited government, local control, and private enterprise (be it for profit or for charity).

The bill passed by a vote of 79-19-1… that is, with a majority of Republican Senators (22). So a majority of Republican Senators are perfectly comfortable inserting Washington – that great paragon of efficiency and productivity – into the great American tradition of charity, and doing so at unprecedented levels.

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This is almost too crazy for me to believe is actually happening in America.

The disastrous “service” bill I described earlier today is being rushed through the Senate to get it over to the House as fast as possible. Cloture will be filed in the Senate tonight (I am told) which means there need not be a final cloture vote until Friday, and then there would be additional time for debate and vote on final passage… but instead, there likely will be a “unanimous consent” agreement to having a vote by tomorrow night under threat of “staying in over the weekend” (which includes Friday – a scheduled “no vote” day) by Harry Reid.

This is how it goes in the Senate. Rush a 300 page bill through the Senate that will fundamentally re-shape the relationship not just between government and charity – but between our national government and charities nationwide, small and large… all so that Senators don’t have to be bothered over the weekend. After all, they have fundraisers to attend – fishing trips to take – golf matches to make.

This bill should scare the hell out of every American Our national government in Washington – the same folks who are supposed to be managing our budget ($10 Trillion+ in debt and running), our borders (10 million illegal immigrants or more?), and who brought you social security and medicare (each of which are bankrupt) – are now going to tell us how to volunteer, and start telling our kids that they must volunteer and with whom they must do it.

This is a complete outrage – and reminiscent of the old Soviet Union. A friend living in Russia today – and who has a pretty good understanding of that nation’s history – received my earlier post and responded thusly:

One of the things that Alexis de Tocqueville noted about American society is our willingness to meet community needs – without government funding or without being compelled to do so. He wrote extensively on how community church groups, shelters, and hospitals were a uniquely American phenomenon. Of course, Americans don’t need government approval or encouragement to do this type of volunteer work.

The most insidious thing about the Serve America Act is how it will be used by liberals for indoctrination purposes, which is how the Soviet Union used its youth organizations. Sen. DeMint makes the point that the Boy Scouts, absent government interference, is an institution that is able to inspire the same civic responsibility and public service that the government wants to bring about through this act. The Soviets had their “Young Pioneers” clubs and the “Union of Communist Youth,” which both fulfilled the same purpose as the Serve America Act.

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With all the focus and attention on the TARP, the so-called “stimulus” bill, the nationalization of huge chunks of our economy and the various issues economic – lost in the weeds have been a host of destructive “programs” being developed and passed by the Obama-Democrat machine.

Right now on the floor of the United States Senate is one of the most disturbing pieces of legislation I have seen in a long time. HR 1388, the “Serve America Act” is cloaked in feel-good rhetoric and supposedly noble goals, but it is nothing more than another Washington power-grab – this time targeted at non-profits and education – and ultimately at indoctrinating a whole new generation of Obamanistas into forsaking individual liberty and free will for the Statist worldview.

The bill is far too onerous to detail here – and given Republican support for it, it would seem somewhat futile. But, the legislation is far too destructive not to spend some time on, and one of the few remaining patriots in Washington – Jim DeMint (R-SC) – gave an excellent speech yesterday explaining the bill’s misguided approach and his opposition.

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