Saturday, October 10, 2009

An Unclean Bill of Health

I have been submitting columns and op/ed pieces to Liberty Features Syndicate for a few months now, between other duties. I thought sharing those articles here might be a good way to keep this blog working rather than leaving it to posterity. Mr. Morris has no objection and I haven't heard from Mr. Tams and Mr. Schrag on the matter yet. So, without further ado, here is the first column. It was published by LFS on August 25th. My title for this piece was "Liar,Liar, Pants on Fire!", and my original opening a bit more...aggressive -a little too aggressive for the editor, which is why it was published under it's current title. I regard working with an editor as a new learning experience.





With the current proposed health care bill, it is hard to believe how much politicians think they can dupe Americans. After having looked over the proposed bill — HR 3200 — it is a wonder that these people can look straight into a camera and tell such bold faced lies about what is and is not in this bill without regard to the real affect it will have on every American.
And just for the record, the government has no money but that which it receives from taxes. It doesn’t matter if you call it a fee or a separate fund or a fine, the bottom line is: it’s a tax. A tax, by the pertinent definition in the Oxford American Dictionary, is: “a sum of money to be paid by people or business firms to a government, to be used for public purposes.”
So, those in support of this plan can play with semantics all they like, but the American people know where the money is coming from and they don’t want their money used to pay for abortions-period. This bill will result in taxpayer funded abortions.
There are lies about keeping your current doctors and insurance. This Congress must think the population is deficient in math skills and common sense. The fines (taxes) on people and employers for not participating in the government’s plan are prohibitive. Most businesses will simply run the numbers, discover the fee (tax) is cheaper and viola those private plans, the ones people can keep if they like them, will be no more.
There are lies about health care rationing. Has anyone besides whoever wrote them actually read those sections of the bill? The part that outlines how it will be determined whether or not someone is eligible for healthcare and if so, what kind, how much, by what doctor and at what facility? Their solution will be the cost effective means health care rationing. There’s no nicer way to say it. For this program to be affordable, there must be rationing.
There are lies by omission.
Those things that are not being mentioned, such as the fact that all Americans will be required to have their medical histories in a government database whether they want to or not. There is a disturbing lack of comment on the proposed national healthcare card which all Americans will be required to have. A card which will give the government access to our bank accounts as well as our medical histories.
There is also a lack of comment on the fact that there will be no way to dispute the withdrawal of whatever fees the government decides we owe for those services. Does anyone think that, having given the government free access to their finances, such access will not be abused? Please note, this card will be required for everyone, not just those in the government plan.
Then there is the biggest lie of all; that Congress has the authority to take over the nation’s healthcare industry in this manner. This proposal goes far beyond the enumerated powers of Congress in the U.S. Constitution. The states could implement this type of program on their own, as Mass. and Maine have already done, but Congress has no authority to impose this type of legislation on the country as a whole.
Belanne Pibal is a guest contributing writer for Liberty Features Syndicate.

9 comments:

Terry Morris said...

Nice article, Belanne. Since I very recently became one of those people who doesn't have a bank account, I wonder how the government will deal with people like me?

Truth be told, I never really thought having a bank account was such a good idea anyway. It was convenient during those years that I had one, but I'll manage just fine without it.

Terry Morris said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Terry Morris said...

Oops! I messed the other post up. I was saying...

Getting to the meat of the article and what's at issue here, you wrote:

The states could implement this type of program on their own, as Mass. and Maine have already done, but Congress has no authority to impose this type of legislation on the country as a whole.

There was a rather short discussion about this recently over at the Tenth Amendment Center involving myself and a couple of other posters. Notice how advocates of universal healthcare incessantly appeal to their belief (or firm belief, or strong belief--"I strongly believe that healthcare is a right!", as if to say that a "strong belief" in something is a more powerful argument due to the addition of the modifier) that healthcare is a right not a privelege. Therefore, to them, the ends always justify the means.

Since they already know that passage of a constitutional amendment transferring the power to regulate healthcare from the state governments to the central government is a virtual impossibility, they simply determine to bypass the constitution and its prescription for its own alteration.

As I explained in the discussion, I personally wouldn't support such an amendment proposal in any event since it would further erode the principles of federal representative Republicanism (our original form of government). To paraphrase Mr. Jefferson, "the constitution makes us several as to ourselves, one as to all others," and I personally have no inclination to alter that simple arrangement. But to preserve it.

Call Me Mom said...

We're close to an all cash basis ourselves these days. We do have bank accounts for cashing checks and such, but there isn't much in them.

As for the argument that healthcare is a right, are cell phones, cars, homes or even indoor plumbing rights? Of course not. They are not rights, they are goods and services. Doctors provide a service and no one has the "right" to force them to provide that service against their will or without due compensation. Simply because we, as christians may hold that refusing healthcare to someone who may die without it is morally reprehensible does not make healthcare a right.
None of our other rights involve taking the skilled labor or physical property of another without due compensation and this is no different.

Terry Morris said...

Simply because we, as christians may hold that refusing healthcare to someone who may die without it is morally reprehensible does not make healthcare a right.

Exactly. But it isn't necessarily Christians who are making this argument. Indeed, the staunchest believers in the "healthcare is a right, therefore we must grow external government and overthrow the constitution to ensure it" camp can't possibly be very informed Christians as far as I can tell. Many of them that I've personally argued with even go so far as to make threats about the 'poor' and the 'needy' revolting if we don't cowar to their demands.

But as you pointed out in the article, nationalized healthcare cannot possibly be effected without rationing of health services, and very possibly essential health services. But even that doesn't concern me as much as this tendency to depend on government for all of our needs and desires. Not only is this an affront to the great Sovereign of the Universe, it is a direct assault on the foundation of liberty itself.

Call Me Mom said...

Terry,
You said:" the staunchest believers in the ... camp can't possibly be very informed Christians "
I couldn't agree with you more. Christianity has very strong elements that an individual is to do according to the dictates of their conscience in agreement with God's will. Having the government dictate one's actions, especially one's sacrifices is not in keeping with any form of Christianity with which I am familiar.
In order for a sacrifice to be of any worth, it must come from one's heart.

Call Me Mom said...

"Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;"
Ephesians 6:6

Anonymous said...

Keep contacting us! We get your calls every day!

Call Me Mom said...

Matt,
Unless you are working as a/with our legislator(s) in D.C. your comment makes no sense. Would you care to elaborate?
And thanks for stopping by the blog.