Monday, October 26, 2009

Congress Will Not Listen On Health Care

It seems that our legislators, despite the thousands who showed up at their town halls to protest such measures, despite the tens of thousands attending other TEA Parties across the nation all year and despite the millions attending various 9/12 rallies, still do not understand the message the American people are sending. The American people want government to resume it’s proper, Constitutional role. For a good example, let’s look at the current healthcare debate.


Our legislators continue to insist that “something must be done” to control healthcare costs and that “something” must involve at least a partial government takeover of our healthcare system. Many of them profess alarm at the anger and opposition they are seeing, but refuse to believe that American citizens are rejecting the entire notion of government run healthcare. They often suggest that those who oppose their legislative attempts to take control of the healthcare system are lacking in compassion. Many of them have referred to large segments of the American population in derogatory terms. It is time for them to wake up.



This debate is not just about healthcare, it is about the foundational principles of this republic. The issue is whether or not we, as individuals, have the right to control our own lives and property and to make our own decisions about our healthcare. Doctors are professionals, providing a service that many times costs more than it should because of a system already filled with intrusive, overbearing, needless, bureaucratic, governmental interference. If our legislators are truly interested in lowering healthcare costs, perhaps they should consider deregulation and tort reform. Perhaps they should allow interstate competition for health insurance companies. In other words, they could consider getting the government out of the way and letting the free market work.



For anyone, least of all our elected officials, to suggest that those who oppose government run healthcare are lacking in compassion, when the question before us as a nation has little or nothing to do with compassion for one’s fellow man, is outrageous. Americans donate more of their time and money to charitable and service efforts than the people of any other nation. As was noted in the Seattle Times in a 2007 article: “Americans give twice as much as the next-most-charitable country, according to a November 2006 comparison by the Charities Aid Foundation. In philanthropic giving as a percentage of gross domestic product, the United States ranked first at 1.7 percent. Britain was next at 0.73 percent, while France, with a 0.14 percent rate, trailed such countries as South Africa, Singapore, Turkey and Germany”. Notice that the USA gave more than twice as much as the 2nd place nation.



Government run programs are not known for compassion. Witness Oregon’s response to Barbara Wagener, a woman suffering with lung cancer. The state health plan refused to pay for her cancer drugs, but offered to pay for palliative care, including drugs she could use to commit suicide.



The government is known for corruption and fiscal irresponsibility. The American people are known for compassion and charity.


Listen carefully legislators. Americans as a whole are a compassionate and giving people and we do not want government run healthcare. Americans want the freedom to make our own choices, even if that means we occasionally fail to make good choices. It is not the government’s job to control the choices we make with our freedom, it is the government’s job to make sure we have the freedom to make those choices. The current administration and Congress seem disturbingly unwilling to grant that point, and that is why millions are gathering to peacefully protest the actions of this administration and this Congress.



Belanne Pibal is a Liberty Features Syndicated writer.

8 comments:

Terry Morris said...

Aside from the blatant unconstitutionality of the whole proposition of "universal heathcare" imposed by the central government, which is, in and of itself, case enough against it, one of my biggest hangups about this scheme is that it will muck up an unquestionably good, decent, moral and humanitarian system.

Are you aware, for instance, that private businesses in America actually pay off unmanageable heathcare debt incurred by unfortunate private citizens left without the means to do so themselves? It seems that these companies had rather spend their resources that way than to pay it in taxes to the all-powerful central government (amazing how that works, eh?). It is clear to my mind that people vying for this illegitimate government takeover of healthcare scheme cannot see past the noses on their faces. Not to mention how unbelievably ungrateful and unappreciative they are of the benefits they derive from non-government interference in healthcare.

Though unfortunately a bit cliche, there is profundity in the adage "be careful what you wish for."

Call Me Mom said...

I have also heard from doctors who have put forth the point that they are constrained from offering their services for free to those who are truly destitute, because then they would be charging someone else less than they charge the government for medicaid and medicare patients, which would put them in violation of the law and subject to being fined.

It seems to me that the only thing the government is interested in legisalating away is charity. Or, at least, charity that they don't control and cannot claim credit for while calling the rest of us greedy and heartless.

Terry Morris said...

Well, I am a little bit greedy. And I can be kind of heartless at times, especially when provoked. But I can't possibly hold a candle to the leftist-communists in those areas.

Anonymous said...

"If our legislators are truly interested in lowering healthcare costs, perhaps they should consider deregulation and tort reform. Perhaps they should allow interstate competition for health insurance companies. In other words, they could consider getting the government out of the way and letting the free market work."
Please, please call in our offices and suggest this. We still get phone calls daily against the takeover (which is what it is!).
Here's a hot tip for you all: like you did on 9/12, though it's on such short notice since I received it from a friend yesterday, come at noon on Thursday to the steps of the Capitol. There is a massive rally planned by Rep. Michelle Bachmann. I'm not going to give her party identification away since I prefer thinking in ideological terms and what you all know (despite what the MSM and so many on the Hill deride you all as ignorant when you are the opposite, you all are the most informed, passionate, group of Americans I've ever seen (I will be rotating out of here soon enough!)) is that party identification no longer matters. It is an antiquated system they use to try to keep control of the American public.
The reason our elites deride us so much is because they are terrified of us. Ad hominem attacks mean that they know their time to leave office has come. They will do anything to try to "win" your all vote come next November.

Call Me Mom said...

Thanks for the encouragement Matt. I wish I could be there on Thursday, but this week is full and I can't afford the cost of the trip.
I can and have informed my legislators of my opinion...repeatedly and without observable effect.

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Call Me Mom said...

lalacordle0321 and kentcabe, Please do not post on this blog. I did not click on the links you posted, but from the translation, they were links to "adult" websites. They have been deleted for that reason. Such things are not welcome here.