Obamacare Will Enslave Our Children, So Why Won't They Stop It?

February 13, 2017

WRITER

Democrats pole vaulted into Obamacare to just get it passed. Why? Because they knew it would never be undone.

"That's what we said when Obamacare was being debated, If you get its tentacles into the system, you're never going to get them out. And that's what we're finding now. It's pretty difficult to get them out," Co-host Pat Gray said on The Glenn Beck Program.

In fact, it looks like the GOP is backing off repealing of the funding for Obamacare.

"If we really understood how this is going to enslave our children, we'd be working a lot harder to stop it," Glenn said Monday on radio.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

GLENN: Well, the G.O.P. has -- is starting to back off their tax cut of repealing of Obamacare funding, if you will, the taxes that went along with it.

PAT: Well, they went to the trillion dollar candy store, and they took out the candy, and now they don't want to give the candy back.

GLENN: Of course not.

PAT: That's every single time.

JEFFY: Every time.

PAT: That's what we said when Obamacare was being debated, "If you get its tentacles into the system, you're never going to get them out." And that's what we're finding now. It's pretty difficult to get them out.

GLENN: That's why they pole vaulted into it. That's why they didn't care by hook or by crook. They knew: Just get it done. Just pass it. Once you pass it, you'll never undo it.

PAT: And then they're going to be really hard-pressed to repeal any of these taxes because what Democrats will say, "Well, you just want to cut taxes for the rich, for the wealthy Americans." Because this happens on the upper percent of -- of -- of health care insurance. Right? It's not everybody pays this tax. It's just the wealthier Americans that are stuck with, what was it? 3 percent, 4 percent tax?

STU: Is it a tax cut if you were paying a rate in 2010 and your rate goes up for a few years, and then it goes back to the 2008 rate. We're calling that a cut? I just want to make sure I understand the terminology here. That's a cut.

PAT: That's amazing.

STU: Because Obama raised it for a few years and then his ridiculous bill repealed. That's a cut for us now? We're going back to the same rates that when he started his administration. It wouldn't be this ridiculous cut. It's getting rid of excess taxes he passed.

GLENN: You just don't care about the debt. You don't care about the deficit or the debt.

STU: Oh, I can find lots of stuff on that for you.

GLENN: That's un-American to have a deficit spending like we have. We have $20 trillion in debt now, and you don't care about it. You're just going to add to the debt.

STU: I love that.

PAT: And when they want to raise the debt ceiling, they'll say, the debt doesn't matter. The debt is not what's important. That doesn't matter.

GLENN: I know.

STU: It's whatever argument works for them in the next 30 seconds is the one they use.

PAT: Yes.

STU: But we need to be better than that.

GLENN: If we really understood how this is going to enslave our children, we'd be working a lot harder to stop it.

STU: I don't know. We've worked pretty hard. We've tired. I think this audience has tried.

GLENN: No, no. I don't mean us, as a whole. As American people. As the whole, when we see that no one is going to forgive our debt, no one is going to forgive this debt.

You know, Brazil and China, they're not going to say, "Oh, you know what, America really tried, and they were good to the rest of the world. And I know they forgave a lot of debt. So we'll forgive debt." They're not going to do that for us. That's not going to happen.

We will still have to pay this debt back. And we'll pay it in our resources or our labor. We are literally enslaving our children.

STU: And the way the Republicans have tried to do this is by passing two budget bills in the same year, which is very abnormal. But the way they tried to do it was to get both the taxes and the Obamacare repeal done quickly.

What it looks like now is that that scheduling might wind up killing both of them because -- and they're going to say, "Well, it's procedural. You don't understand. Oh, no. We couldn't get either one done."

And that is the way it's trending right now. They still have time to reverse it, but it gets more and more difficult by the day.

PAT: Uh-huh. And here's what John Cornyn -- john Cornyn of Texas said, "Whatever we do in replacement is going to cost some money. And is there a way to generate money if we ditch all the Obamacare tax revenues?" That's where we haven't achieved consensus.

(laughter)

STU: Oh, man.

PAT: You slimy dirtbags.

STU: Wow. We deserve this. We do.

PAT: It doesn't cost you money. You're just taking less from us.

STU: Right.

PAT: That's not costing you money. You're cost us money right now! Stop it!

STU: And if you go back to the beginning of Obamacare --

PAT: Unbelievable, man.

STU: -- let's say they didn't go to Obamacare. Overton window example here, if we could go back to that. The amount of Obamacare that the Republicans are pledging to essentially keep, which is a decent percentage of Obamacare, even in these repeal plans, a lot of it stays, if Democrats just attempted to pass a bill with the stuff Republicans are now saying will stay from Obamacare, they would have never been able to get it through, not with Republican support at least.

So instead, they pass this giant thing. It backs off to only half of it. And we're like, wow, what a win. We repealed it.

We repealed, what? They got half of their agenda through. And now it's Republicans' fault when it blows up. This is not a win. They need to actually go in there and replace it with something good and repeal everything.

PAT: They need to replace it with the free market.

STU: With the free freaking market.

PAT: Free market.

STU: Why not? Why not? Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to try.

GLENN: Our bar is so high. Why not?

STU: Why not? Give it a whirl.

GLENN: Why not? We'll try the free market.

PAT: We'll try the free market. Let's try the American way.

GLENN: Let's just give it a shot. Why not?

PAT: What a concept.

GLENN: Why not?

STU: Ah.

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

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In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

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Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

Glenn's Show Prep

Obamacare Will Enslave Our Children, So Why Won't They Stop It?

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

Without civic action, America faces collapse

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Taking up the torch

Start small and local

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Picking up his torch

Two turning points, decades apart

A time for courage

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family