In his address to Congress President Obama said health care reform can not wait, must not wait, and will not wait another year. Republicans need to take the long view, since they don't have the votes to stop the Democrats on most issues; let them raise taxes, nationalize the banks, down size the military and shut down all the coal fired power plants. These policies can be reversed. If Republicans regain control of Congress in 2010 or by some miracle regain the presidency also in 2012 they can rollback taxes, they can privatize the banks again, they can rebuild the military and they can give the green light for new coal and nuclear power plants.

There is one thing we would never be able to roll back and that is socialized health care. This is where Republicans need to draw the line and do everything in their power to stop Obama.

The problem is, once you have "free" health care who in their right mind would give it up, no matter how bad it is? And make no mistake it is bad, you don't have to search very long to find horror stories coming out of Canada and the UK. The United Kingdom nationalized health care in 1948 and it has been down-hill since then. It's so bad some illegal immigrants in the UK are trying to leave the country because of it. And still the citizens of the UK grin and bear it -- albeit with a slightly yellow toothless grin.

Obama was smart not to tackle health care reform first. The massive porkulus bill was a great diversion and fighting it has worn down the opposition. Now with a successful address to Congress under his belt he can turn to his real priority -- universal health care -- it is the crown jewel of socialism.

That is why he fought so hard to save Tom Daschle his nominee for health and human services secretary. Tom is an expert on socialized health care and has written a book on the subject where he proposes setting up a new bureaucracy that will monitor health care. He has said we “won’t be able to make a significant dent in health-care spending without getting into the nitty-gritty of which treatments are the most clinically valuable and cost effective.” He was also a big supporter of the failed Clinton health care plan of 1994.

The audacity of Obama's rhetoric is amazing, somehow a tax cut for 95% of Americans' turned into the re-introduction of welfare. Using the same technique Obama will attempt a stealth takeover of the health care system. It will start with "health care reform" and a promise to let you keep your current insurance. In the following excerpt from Human Events Tony Blankley, commenting on Tom Daschle's book, explains how "19 words would spell the end of independent private-sector health care in America."

On Page 179, he writes, "The Federal Health Board wouldn't be a regulatory agency, but its recommendations would have teeth because all federal health programs would have to abide by them." But here is the kicker: Although his board technically would have no say on the 68 percent of health care that is provided through the private sector, at the bottom of Page 179, Daschle modestly adds: "Congress could opt to go further with the Board's recommendations. It could, for example, link the tax exclusion for health insurance to insurance that complies with the Board's recommendation."

Those last 19 words would spell the end of independent private-sector health care in America. Obviously, no health insurance would be sold if it were denied the tax deduction. Thus, every policy, every standard decided by this board would be the law of the land for every drug company, every hospital, every doctor and every health insurance company.

Indeed, 20 pages later, in the section in which he identifies "losers" under his plan, Daschle is admirably candid. Among the explicit "losers,” he includes: "Doctors and patients might resent any encroachment on their ability to choose certain treatments, even if they are expensive or ineffectual compared to alternatives. Some insurers might object to new rules that restrict their coverage decisions. And the health-care industry would have to reconsider its business plan (emphasis added)." That is to say, they can stay in business and deliver their services, but only as the government bureaucrats say they may. They no longer would be genuinely independent.