Lessons from November...

First and foremost, congratulations to New Hampshire State Representative Bruce. I knew him when he was a prisoner of MA, trapped in Meninostan. Now he's moving up in the world, making waves in the world of politics. Next stop, NH Governor, then Senator, then President Bruce. All I ask for is head of the ATF. Muwhahahahahaha...

Secondly, a quick recap of the changes:

House most likely GOP-controlled.
Governor Bentley
Governor Snyder
Governor Daugaard
Governor Corbett
Governor Martinez
Governor Mead
Senator Moran
Senator Rubio
Senator Blunt
Senator Hoeven
(and this is as of CNN at 11PM Tuesday night)

Third, a little crystal ball gazing. What does this mean going forward? Well, for starters, it means that the American people don't like being ignored by their representatives. When we call, and e-mail, and fax, and write letters in opposition to something, listen to us. Don't just go ahead and vote for it anyways - listen to your constituents. You might think this bill is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if it's unpopular with the voters in your district, ask yourself why. Sure, in some cases (like slavery, before it gets brought up), it was necessary to go against the wishes of the voters for the greater good; however, it's very hard to argue that for the bailout of GM, Chrysler, or Citibank...

We don't want national healthcare. As much as you try to pretend "healthcare is a basic human right", it's not - no "basic human right" derives from the sweat of others. Once you postulate that someone has a right to something you've created, then it becomes incumbent on you to provide it for them, whether or not you want to or are justly compensated for doing so. That's why our basic rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not happiness itself, but the freedom to do as we wish in our journey towards being happy. We have the right to be left the hell alone, to not have the governmental camel's nose poked repeatedly into our tent. That requires no action, no sweat, from others - just the basic decency of privacy and personal responsibility.

As foreign as those concepts might be to you, a large percentage of Americans still believe in them - that the government does best when it stays the hell out of the way. Leaving us alone is the default, not the exception, and trying to do otherwise generates situations like New Orleans during the Katrina flood, where folks habituated to government intervention were startled to find that it wasn't coming instantly. Even today most of us want the government to stay the hell out of our lives, preferring a free market response to the governmentally mandated one - hence why UPS, DHL, and Federal Express exist. You push government programs on us at the point of a gun - and make no mistake, that's what you're doing - and we're going to push back.

The surest way to make something happen is not to tell an American that it can't be done, but that he's not allowed to do it.

Republicans, the next two years are yours. Use them wisely, for we shall be watching. If you continue to act like you did from 1994 through 2006, you will have the shortest control in history, for we will vote you out in 2012 just as ruthlessly as we voted you in yesterday. Do not mistake our contempt and loathing for those in power now as any sort of mandate - you have no mandate, and thinking you do will cost you very dearly. If you cleave to the Constitution, rescinding the most egregious and malicious offenders in your two years, we will reward you with another two years; ignore us and return to simply being "the party in power" and we will throw you out without remorse.

This time it's for keeps. We are standing on our line, and should you push us, we will push back. Give us no reason to push - respect our wishes, vote according to our will and the Constitution, keep the government small and non-invasive, do that which we are sending you to DC to do with much trepidation and holding of breath and there will be positive outcomes. Continue to burden us with onerous regulations, cumbersome bureaucracies, and petty tyrants and the outcome will not be to your liking.

This is your hour - pray we do not alter the deal further.

That is all.