You will be happy and controlled

We shall take care of them ... and you will be happy, and controlled.

The passage of the House health care bill yesterday brought this picture to mind.

One of my favorite episodes of the original Star Trek series is I, Mudd. If you need a refresher (or *gasp* you haven't seen it), the Enterprise crew are taken captive by a race of benevolent robots determined to serve humanity and to protect humans from themselves.

One scene reveals what I consider a good description of an anti-free-market, pro-government-control rationale. The master robot, Norman, explains why happiness and safety are better than freedom:

NORMAN: Your species is self-destructive. You need our help.
KIRK: We prefer to help ourselves. We make mistakes, but we're human. And maybe that's the word that best explains us.
NORMAN: We will not harm you, but we will take the starship, and you will remain on this planet.
…
NORMAN: We cannot allow any race as greedy and corruptible as yours to have free run of the galaxy.
SPOCK: I'm curious, Norman. Just how do you intend to stop them?
NORMAN: We shall serve them. Their kind will be eager to accept our service. Soon they will become completely dependent upon us.
ALICE 99: Their aggressive and acquisitive instincts will be under our control.
NORMAN: We shall take care of them.
SPOCK: Eminently practical.
KIRK: The whole galaxy controlled by your kind?
NORMAN: Yes, Captain. And we shall serve them and you will be happy, and controlled.

(The complete script for the episode is at http://tinyurl.com/ybhmzkr.)