The old saying goes that there is nothing more dangerous than a caged animal. When a wild animal is caged it paces, schemes, looks for openings to get loose once more. They snarl, bark, growl to send fear into their captors so that they will be let free. Should they find an opening, they will attack their captor with a viciousness that will nullify their enemy and secure their escape.

As the sign up and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act nears its Oct. 1st kickoff date, we see Republicans act more and more like a caged animal. They scheme night and day to sabotage the implementation just as the caged animal paces and checks the cage minute after minute, hour by hour. Republicans listen to every word waiting for an opening to attack. They scheme and scheme and scheme. So far their schemes have taken them to some really strange actions.

In Congress the Republicans in the House continue to vote to end the ACA. This move hasn’t opened the cage door once yet, but if they keep doing it over and over and over their captors may not be paying close enough attention one time and they can escape. So they vote and vote and vote to end the ACA. Over and over, 20 times , then 40 times, soon 50 to 60 times. The House does little else. They pace, they scheme, they vote over and over.

They also set traps for their opponent. If the opponent does not relent, they will stop the government from functioning. Government is essential to our country and the economy. So if they do not get their way they will punish the world. The whole world. They care not, for much like the caged animal they care only about themselves. They pace faster and faster as the day of the ACA comes nearer.

They set another trap. Defund the Medicaid portion of the law.They attack the most vulnerable among us trying to use them as a hostage. So far it is not working. They pace, they scheme. Maybe if they don’t allow information to get out in various states. Maybe the citizens are so dumb they won’t call or access the internet to get information. They pace, they scheme. They are caged and little they do is getting the cage door opened.

Finally they play their ace. The idea they have schemed and schemed over. Shut down the government. If the government doesn’t function, then they can’t implement the ACA. So they will stop the government. Stopping the government will stop the ACA. But they must be sly. They must set up a trap for their opponent so the citizens will never blame them for shutting things down. So the set a trap that will make the ignorant citizens think their opponents shut the government down. The citizens must be ignorant because many of them are fooled into think that having access to health care is bad for them.

During all this they deploy their biggest, most reliable weapon. Lies, lies, lies and a compliant media to deliver them. They do interviews, they send out press notices making the most outlandish lies possible and the media delivers them to their customers without comment. Citizens believe the media would not relay anything that was false. Thus the caged animal is able to deliver their poisonous message directly to the citizens.

Caged animals are among the most dangerous things on earth. If they are able to break out, they will destroy anything in their path. That includes you, me, our children and grandchildren. Someone must pay for that cage.