Last Thu I was on a return flight from a trip. My fellow passengers were engaged in conversation, and I joined them.

One was an exceedingly polite ex-AF officer. The other was an older lady. Turned out she was some sort of bureaucrat or lobbyist for healthcare reform at the state level.

She asked us what we thought of health care reform.

I had to repeat myself twice, and then spell out "abhorant". She was stunned.

I tried to remain calm and polite in explaining my position, hoping perhaps to influence her.

Doubtful.

Every example she gave was flawed logically.

One claim was that the states have demanded the feds get involved b/c they couldn't do it themselves. Hmm, sounds like a proof that gov't can't get it done w/in a reasonable budget, so they're looking to a bigger government to provide more money. Once again, our Fed gov't flawed in action. And if this can't work at a small scale, how can it work at an even larger scale?

Another was that those $10 clinics aren't helping b/c she had a friend who was shopping and thought she was having a heart attack. She went to the store clinic but they couldn't help her.

Oh, and someone else has a high deductable insurance policy, but it didn't cover their need for an eye condition...so the free market doesn't work.

I realized, she was a duitful Roman Catholic who took it as her mission to "help" the poor...by stealing my money. She saw nothing wrong w/ her use of force to achive her "noble" objective.

And it's all ok because it's been sanctioned by the government. I mean what else makes things "right"? Right? She had to correct herself when she said "everybody wants this," to "most people want this." Ever read a poll, lady?

Meanwhile, her efforts, and those of her comrades, will hurt far more people than they help. Fewer jobs, worse healthcare.

It disgusts me.

Sure, I'm all pumped up full of "Atlas Shrugged" but I can't help but see how this woman's self-righteous religiosity is going to harm so many people. Yet she will go forward, defiantly ignoring all logic and ethics, and even her own Bible Exodus 20:15 (RC's don't really read the Bible, do they? Actually the AF officer was reading his. I wonder if he's RC).

I say this cautiously, looking for the beam in my own eye, but now I think I've got some idea of who is referred to in Matt 7:22, 23.

And I wonder to myself, if calm, rational discussion isn't an effective course, what's the right thing to do?

Trying to argue with these people using the non aggression principle and pointing out the "gun in the room" to them seems only to confuse and dumbfound them. They are so indoctrinated with the "glory of the state" that they cant conceive of any option to get things done but by using the coercion and violence of the state. It is exasperating.