It's Not About Republican or Democrat
On the subject of health care reform and the concerns thereof:
The Obama administration claims that the goal of health care reform is for the government to provide health insurance for those who are currently uninsured. This sounds like a noble goal on the surface.
There are those in the country who indicate that they support the idea as it has been presented by the president and the Democrats in the senate and the house.
There are those in the country who have expressed concerns and reservations about a number of provisions in the house health care reform bill no: HR 3200.
We have seen town hall meetings across the nation with record breaking attendance and a great many concerned and distressed voters voicing concerns about a "public policy" or a "single payer" system. Either would be a system wherein the federal government would become a provider of health care insurance and set standards for health care policies.
Some of the voters at these meetings have voiced opposition to taxpayer money being used to pay for abortion in this bill. Some have questioned whether or not taxpayer money would be used for the health care of illegal aliens in the country. Some have questioned how the system would be paid for when the country is, by Obama's own public statement, already bankrupt. Some have questioned whether or not health care for the elderly...or indeed the public as a whole would be limited or rationed. Some have concerns that the entire health care system will be undermined and the quality of care diminished for all, and some have expressed concern as to whether those with existing health care insurance will be able to keep the coverage they currently have. (polls show that 85% of Americans are happy with their current health care).
The administration says that the plan is to require that all Americans have health insurance. That any business which fails to provide health care insurance for employees will be charged a tax of 8% of their payroll as a penalty for failing to provide said coverage.
Coverage is to be compulsory for the individual under the proposed plan and the individual is to be taxed 2.5 % of their income if they fail to buy health insurance. One might well question whether or not the federal government has the constitutional authority to mandate that the individual buy health insurance. Recent talks have indicated a fine and or imprisonment for failure to comply.
Members of the press have questioned the reasons for the record attendance at the town hall meetings and have speculated as to the reasons why the voters appear to be so irate and why the public outcry has been so vehement over the health care issue.
I would suggest that there is no one single reason but rather it is the cummulative effect of the growing outrage within the voting public over a federal government which by all indications appears bound and determined to impose their will on an unwilling, resistant, and disapproving public.
By all indications the public opposed all the corporate bailouts but they were done anyway. The public opposed all the stimulus money, but it was done anyway. The public opposed the government takeover of the banks, but it was done anyway. The public opposed the bailouts of the car makers, but they were done anyway. The public opposed the government takeover of General Motors, but it was done anyway.
The public was further outraged when it became known that the stimulus bill was over 1000 pages and was filled with special "pet projects"....call them earmarks or pork barrel spending or whatever you will. They weren't anything resembling any form of an economic stimulus. The public was further outraged to find out that no one in the congress, house or senate, even read the bill or knew what it contained prior to passing it. As it turns out, the bill was written by the Apollo Alliance so it was not even written by the congress.
It was all the more suspect because it was rushed through so hastily and no one was allowed an opportunity to scrutinize it. People have learned long ago that when such a rush and sense of urgency is forced upon them that the underlying reason is sinister and that it must be perpetrated on the victim before the truth becomes apparent.
After all this, it became readily apparent that the congress and the Obama administration had every intention of ramming down the throats of the voters another 1000 page bill for health care reform that no one had read and no one understood. And, as it turns out, those who have now read it find it is anything but understandable, is confusing, contains items such as the sharing of taxpayer records with other agencies and states that not only have nothing to do with health care but invade the privacy rights of the citizens of this country.
It has now come to light that the bill was not only unread by congress, but that it was not even written by congress. It was written by a special interest group known as the "Apollo Alliance". If you are unfamiliar with this organization it would be beneficial to research it a bit. It is composed of known radicals, extremists, unions (including SEIU), and their muscle.
Yes, there have been concerns raised about the provisions in the bill. As one might expect individuals have raised issues which concern or pertain to them as individuals. One might well expect that those would be their first concern as they believe they are personally affected, but the real outrage and mood of the voters has been created not only by the issues but by the attitudes of the elected officials who have repeatedly refused to listen to the voters and have been so arrogant as to assume, and publicly state, that they know best and intend to ignore the desires of their constituents.
When asked why she was not holding any town hall meetings Rep. Louise Slaughter (D) from New York had the audacity to state that " to do so was beneath my dignity and beneath the dignity of my office." This typifies the attitude and arrogance of many of these lawmakers and is at the heart of the public outrage.
It is this arrogant indifference to the will of the people and the continued intransigence of our elected officials as they ram these bills down our throats, and bankrupt our country, that has so incensed the public.These lawmakers have created the mood and I suspect it will work to their detriment and their eventual undoing.
I will touch on some of the issues which have been raised only briefly because I believe that there is an underlying issue which is far more important to us all and has not been brought up. I suspect, however, that it is in the back of the minds of many thinking individuals even though it has not been brought to light that I am aware of. These individual provisions are rather minor issues in the scheme of things and really miss the point that we should all be VERY concerned about.
The problem in this country is obviously much bigger than health care insurance. The problem is in thinking that the federal government can provide for the individual better than the individual is capable of providing for him or herself. For every ounce of control of your life that you turn over to the federal government you give up a pound of freedom. They always fall short of their promises and the costs always exceed their estimates.
TO ALLOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE HEALTH CARE OF IT'S CITIZENS IS TO ABANDON THE IDEA OF ANYTHING THAT RESEMBLES A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC.
Because your health and welfare, or the health and welfare of "society as a whole" becomes the excuse for every conceivable regulation or law to control any and every aspect of the life of the individual. Any and all laws can be passed using the excuse that it is for the "common good". The rights of the individual disappear. Your choices vanish. You no longer can choose either for yourself, your children, or your family. It becomes what is good for the "state" and you, as an individual, mean nothing.
The attempt to take over the American health care system by the federal government is the ultimate power grab by a tyrannical government. What has riled the public most is the intuitive sense that all the programs which have been rammed down our throats, against our loud objections, by the federal government the past few months, is exactly that..the feeling that we have an unprecedented power grab by the federal government and that it is out of control.
The health care reform being pushed is the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. The guise of providing insurance to the uninsured is merely an excuse and a human shield. It is a Trojan horse. We have socialism wrapped in a noble facade.
I would suggest some food for thought when considering issues of government. These principles make for some guidance and encourage the foresight that need be used when considering relations with a central government or elected representatives.
First; the natural tendency and progression of government is to grow and expand. Thomas Jefferson once said that no government has ever voluntarily decreased in size.
Governments grow and grow and they become less and less efficient. They become more and more indifferent to the citizens and more and more unresponsive. Those in power become more and more power hungry and the agenda becomes... that of power. It is not that they lack foresight in policy making. It is that they do not even look ahead. It is all about the power. Remember, when people fear the government you have tyranny. When the government fears the people you have democracy. Which do we have?
Second; when considering the possibility of any new law, program, legislation, or powers to be granted one must duly consider whether or not it could potentially become a problem or potentially be abused. If the answer is yes, it must not be allowed. A problem is much easier to stop before it gets started than after it has started.
Thirdly; a power, once granted, is virtually impossible to rescind or repeal. If a power can be abused a government will eventually do so.
Fourth; be very leery of any legislation which sets a precedent or circumvents individual rights or freedoms of choice. ...Or risk losing them all.
These issues are not about Republicans or Democrats. These two parties have almost merged in their agendas and the perpetuation of their terms and powers. Neither party has been a responsible guardian of our country, our free enterprise system, nor the rights of the people. They have both moved steadily toward the party of the progressives, which is misleading to begin with because their goals are regressive, not progressive.
Our democratic republic is under attack from within. The Washington insiders, elitists, and the special interest groups have been shaping this nation to their desires for a long time. To succeed they must destroy freedom.
THE VERY IDEA OF A FEDERAL HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM RAISES RED FLAGS ON EVERY POINT AND PRINCIPLE OUTLINED ABOVE.
In the first place you need only consider the federal government's track record on their enacted programs. They created the post office and it is a failure. They created Social Security and it is bankrupt. They created medicare and medicaide and they are bankrupt and unsustainable.
Not one program they have created could be called a success nor came in on budget. They have instead spent our country into bankruptcy. Instead of curtailing the spending they jumped into 2009 and went full throttle as if there was to be no tomorrow and money grew on trees. Obama himself stated on national television that the country is already bankrupt, but did it slow the spending spree? NO! One has to question the motives as to why not. It seems beyond all reason.....yet there is one.
Obama said in his campaign speeches that he would not tolerate earmarks in the bills from congress. The stimulus package was full of them and yet he signed it promptly and without question. Why? Spent billions we did not have gladly!......Why?
So, where is the wisdom in enacting a new program that would most likely be the most expensive undertaking in the history of our federal government when we are already bankrupt and cannot sustain the promises made or the programs that exist? There has to be a reason, but I would submit to you that it is not out of compassion for those few who have no health insurance. It would seem to be insanity and without reason...but it is not.
They have continuously and repeatedly underestimated the costs of their programs and any clear thinking American could not possibly find any reason to expect this program to be any different. I would suggest to you that they..... DO NOT CARE WHAT IT COSTS. Just as they did not care what the stimulus or bailouts cost. Why? What are we missing in this total disregard for fiscal responsibility?
Because their one desire is to further their agenda.... NO MATTER THE COST. Health care reform is no more about providing health care for the uninsured than the millions spent on hog farm odor in Omaha or tattoo removal funds for California was about stimulus.
They do not care or worry about the future debt because it will cause further crisis and allow them the opportunity, and excuse, to further their agenda faster and more often. They do not care or worry about the country we love or the freedoms we cherish. They love the programs they create because of the added power these programs give them over the people.
They have refused, repeatedly, to institute a fair tax system. It is a logical way of taxing as it taxes consumption instead of productivity. It stops the personal and corporate income tax and facilitates tax collecting. Both the economy and the government tax collections would benefit. Of course individuals would too. Why do they not do it? One reason. They lose control over the individual, the corporation, and lose their weapon...the IRS. They lose the power.
They have long tried to control business and the individual with the tax system and the IRS. It has been used to silence dissent and opposition. It has been used to discredit and destroy any who stand in their way. Every government agency and bureau is a weapon to wield. Should we give them another?
So, I ask you now if you think, for even one minute, that you want to give up your health care to a central government. If you think they controlled your life with money and taxes, try giving them control over your very life and that of your loved ones. And on just what basis would you even consider such a thing in view of their record on ANY FRONT or their management of anything under their control. Are you willing to bet the life of your kids on it?
I will refer you to principle number one that I listed previously, that the tendency for government is to grow, expand, become indifferent, and unresponsive. It does not take a great deal of foresight to see how this could evolve on the health care front....to our peril.
Secondly, can you envision any possible way that the system might be abused or become a problem in the future? There is a never ending list of potential problems and abuses in having your health at the mercy of an unresponsive and indifferent federal government bureaucrat on a power trip. All must realize that obtaining care or medications outside their system would become illegal if you could even afford them. This should be enough to literally scare the socks off of any clear thinking individual who cares a whit about freedom of choice, their life, and the lives of their loved ones.
The eleventh commandment should read: Ye shall not deliver unto the federal government the lives of my children.
We do not even have their proposed health care reforms in effect but already they are making decisions to tax us more using health care as an excuse. The federal government recently doubled the tax on tobacco products. Perhaps you do not smoke and do not care. Maybe you even agree and accept it. But it should concern you whether you smoke or not, and whether it is healthy or not. Why? because it is curtailing the freedom of choice in this country. It is an end around of freedom and your constitutional rights.
They are talking about taxing soda pop because they claim it leads to obesity. They are talking about taxing beer, wine, and liquor as well. Remember the principles regarding setting precedents and potential abuse? When you see these things you must realize the principles they violate and see that it is curtailing your rights and freedoms. You may not smoke or drink soda pop, but you may rest assured that eventually these policies, if left unchecked, will reach your doorstep in one form or another. They strip us of our freedom of choice and transfer more power over our lives to the government.
Maybe they can't outlaw the right to own guns, but they can make it so expensive to own one that you can't afford to. This is a sneaky way to circumvent our rights and they have to stop. If these things continue there will need to be a constitutional amendment that denies the federal government the right to tax. This is an abuse of their power over the individual and the state.
I shudder to think of the monster we will set loose upon the public if a government health care insurance program is enacted. There are reasons that they are bound and determined to ram this down our throats no matter what we say and it is not out of compassion for the few. Be wary of the attempt to phase it in gradually and incrementally. It must be stopped and the very idea of it thrown out totally and permanently.
Our founding fathers understood the dangers of a big all powerful central government and they tried to set up a governing system to limit it's size and power, and to make it responsive to the people. If this health insurance thing is allowed to pass it will destroy the gift we were given which was born of wisdom and foresight and paid for in blood.
I, for one, do not want to see my generation go down in the history books known as the generation in American history who gave away the dream of freedom and individual rights for all.
This does not even address the debt and the very real possibility that such a program will literally break our country and bring it to it's knees all the while diminishing the quality and availability of health care to all.
This writer rejects the idea of a federal health care plan and the compulsory purchase of health insurance.
What astounds me most are those folks who actually seem to think that a federal health care system could ever work when it has failed miserably both the people and the governments everywhere... and every time... it has been tried anywhere in the world.
I am further amazed that anyone could possibly believe that the powers that be in Washington actually give a damn about anyone's health or well-being. These are excuses to advance their agenda. The agenda of power.
As to the issues raised at town hall meetings, the Democrats have said that there are no provisions to provide taxpayer money to pay for abortion, yet when Republicans proposed an amendment to state that abortion would not be covered it was rejected by the democrats. Democrats have stated that the bill does not include health care for illegal aliens, yet the republicans claim that when they proposed an amendment to so state that illegal aliens would not be covered that too was rejected by the democrats. My question is then; why reject the amendments unless the intent is otherwise?
I would suggest that it has been written to cover either of two eventualities. First, according to Steven Camarota, Director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, "the legislation states that illegals won't get the affordability credits (to pay for their health care) but that the normal enforcement mechanism was excluded from the bill. So the exclusion cannot be enforced.
Rep. Dean Heller (R) NV had offered the amendment that would have prevented illegal aliens from receiving government subsidized health care under the proposed plan. The House Ways and Means Committee killed it by a 26 to 15 vote along straight party lines.
However, the Democrats have made it clear that amnesty is the next item on their ambitious legislative agenda anyway. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) Nev. declared in June that "I've got to do health care, I've got to do energy, and then I'm looking very closely at doing immigration." So, you see, it really makes no difference what the proposed plan states about their coverage. If they give them amnesty they will be citizens and will be covered. If they fail to get the amnesty passed then the bill does not include a provision to enforce their not being covered. The bottom line is that they have crafted the proposal to allow the illegals to be covered either way it goes. At a cost of an estimated 31 billion dollars.
One of the ironies of the legislation, as proposed, is that it would fine American citizens who did not purchase health insurance but illegals would not be subject to such fines. Fair and just, right?
The democrats have said that the plan does not ration, cut, or eliminate the health care to the elderly. But when asked how they will pay for the health care program they say they will cut over 500 billion from medicare. Excuse me? The elderly are the ones for whom medicare is being spent. If you are to cut over 500 billion from medicare expenses how do you not cut, ration, or limit the care to the elderly. It most certainly is not the young and healthy who are the reason for the expense.
They say that you can keep your current health insurance and health care provider. Caveat emptor. For a little while...is what they are not telling you. Your carrier, coverage, and health care provider will change. It may take a while but it will evolve. When your carrier is no more and your coverage has changed to the federal program you will realize only too late that you have been duped by the federal government once again. But they would never lie to us right?
There are some real issues regarding health care that could conceivably be addressed and which might make health care more affordable to all, if that is the real goal. If they are not addressed at all, then I submit to you that meaningful reform is not the goal.
It is no secret that medical malpractice suits and the astronomical awards granted by juries have driven the cost of medical malpractice insurance through the roof , as any doctor can tell you. These costs are passed on to the patient and/or the patient's insurance company which has driven up the cost of health insurance for all.
This is no secret and is not lost on the lawmakers in congress. In a town hall meeting on August 25th Howard Dean admitted that this issue was not addressed in the health care reform bill " because the people who wrote the bill did not want to take on the trial lawyers". They can take on the baseball players over steroid use or the rockers over their song lyrics, but not anything or anyone who is a special interest group or for any meaningful purpose with which they should be concerned.
If the concern about health care costs was genuine I would think we would deal with some of the real problems instead of groping around to find flimsy ways of skirting the real issues. Maybe dealing with the real problems is tougher, but isn't that why they were elected and what they are paid to do? No, they dodge the real issue and avoid the real problems all the while claiming to be fixing the problems. This writer is not impressed.
In 1961, before he ever ran for office, former president Ronald Reagan said " One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can't afford it." This was a warning, America.
Another issue contributing to the high cost of health care is the restriction on competition. There are over 1300 companies in the country who write health insurance, yet in any given state you are allowed to choose from only a handful of companies. Open the borders and allow cross state sales of policies, increase competition, and allow the free market to actually work. But, is this in the bill they have before them? No. Not a mention.
Could it be because they do not want it to be easier or cheaper to buy your health insurance in the private sector?
There has been a problem in the health care industry for a long time. It came to pass innocently enough. Actually it was our free enterprise system. Companies started adding health insurance to their portfolio of fringe benefits to be more competitive in the job market in the hopes of attracting and keeping better employees. Over time the competition forced more and more companies to add coverage in order to compete for workers until it became the expected norm rather than a surprise inducement.
While I love the free market I do believe this created some issues as it evolved. Insurance companies did not want to write health insurance for the self employed, the small business, or the individual. After all they were busy writing for large companies and had hundreds of people signed up when they sold one company. One stop shopping if you will.
What happened to us all is this. All these companies consider the cost of the insurance a cost of doing business and these costs are passed on to the consumer in the price of the goods and services they sell. The effect is that when we buy virtually anything we have contributed to the cost of the health insurance of those working for the manufacturer or service provider. We have all been subsidizing and paying for the health care for all these thousands of people who get it through their employer. We also subsidize the cost to hospitals of providing health care for the uninsured through taxes.
Those who are uninsured are paying for the insurance provided by all the firms they purchase from as well as subsidizing the uninsured through taxes. Perhaps it is conceivable that they could afford to purchase their own policy if they were not subsidizing everyone else!
It is just possible that taking the opposite approach to what the federal government is suggesting might be the better, and certainly more American, approach to health care insurance.
Instead of making it mandatory for a business to provide health care insurance, as the government proposes, what if we do not allow any firm to provide it? What happens then? First, the insurance companies now have to sell you on buying their policy and no more one stop shopping. They will have to address your needs, wants, and desires directly. Second, the employers reduce their cost of doing business and the prices of goods and services come down. The cost of living drops.
In the process you own and control your own policy. You no longer have to worry about losing your coverage if you leave the company and you are no longer bound to them in order to maintain your coverage. You save enough on the products and services you buy to cover the cost of your policy. You no longer subsidize others and are looking only at the cost of your own insurance. Those who could not afford to buy it in the past might now find that their cost of living drops enough to allow them to purchase their own.
The government, rather than a tax or penalty for not buying or providing it, should provide a tax credit for the purchase of health care insurance. This creates incentives rather than penalties, keeps the cost of health care in the private sector, makes the insurance industry answerable to you the individual, and gives you control of your health care. It also prevents the federal government from jumping into another program the country cannot afford, and stops their control over your life, your health, and that of your loved ones.
If the government is honest and serious about meaningful health care reform they should look at real solutions. If they do not, and they persist in their plans for taking over the health insurance industry, then I suggest you seriously need to consider their true motives for doing so.
As to medicare and medicaid, they say the programs are bankrupt and unsustainable, but they have no solutions to fix it. So they do nothing. The solution is simple. They need to continue to pay for the care of everyone who is already on it, as they promised they would do. For all those who have paid into the system and are not on it, they need to refund the money paid into the defunct system. The money paid back to the tax payer to be used for the purchase their own health care insurance. And no more withholdings for the program.
Social security needs to be scrapped in the same manner. All who are on it already must be paid as promised. Those who are not need their money paid back and earmarked for investment into a retirement account of their own which they control.
Stop sending money to rebuild areas like Gaza which was destroyed because of their blatant aggression, stop aiding and abetting the terrorists, and use such money to pay the Americans who paid into these defunct systems all their lives. After all it was their money that Washington has been so fond of squandering.
The first week of September 2009 the GAO ( the government accounting office...which is a non-partisan government oversight office) stated that "the off-balance sheet commitment to social security and medicare PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF THE 2008 RECESSION stood at 56 TRILLION DOLLARS."
They went on to say that they attributed this to the misguided politicians approach to dealing with the deficit and that "America NOW owes more than Americans are worth"!
It became obvious over three decades ago that the way to destroy a country is not with guns, bullets, or bombs, but in the destruction of their economy. That is what brought down the former Soviet Union. This is not a fact that is lost on our enemies or those bound on the destruction of our freedom, our constitution, or our country.
Our economy was in a precarious position when Obama came into office. He has surrounded himself with people who, by their own admission, want to destroy capitalism and the free enterprise system. The current administration has passed an incredible amount of legislation since his term began that further undermines our economy and has increased our national debt exponentially.
Every single program, bill, budget, and each piece of proposed legislation being pushed by this administration and the far left members of congress further undermines our economy and promises to further burden our country with enormous debt. Even China cautioned the government against these policies but to no avail. Early in September of this year, 2009, China went on to announce that they were dumping the dollar as the reserve currency of choice, and they have since selected a basket of four currencies as opposed to the dollar.
China's action is due to the loss of confidence in the dollar out of fear that we will never be able to repay our debt. Our credit rating in the world is being destroyed by these policies.
It would be very difficult to conceive of any possible attack upon our economy that has not either been enacted or currently under consideration by our own current federal government. Our enemies in the world have to be thrilled at what they are watching take place in this country. That is why I tell you now that we are under attack from within and why WE THE PEOPLE have got to stand up now and put a stop to this madness while we have a country left to fight for.
It was Obama's call for government sponsored health care that finally caused China to drop the dollar, as they see it is not supportable...financially. This idea of a public option or federal government health care for all, by whatever name they choose to call it, must be stopped in it's tracks.
There is a new book release I recommend. The title is "America For Sale", by Jereome R. Coris PH.D. Dr Corsi has come to the same conclusion that I have regarding the direction of our country and the intentions of our government. Part of the plan is to trash the dollar. This book is a must read for all who care about our country and our sovereignty. We can stop it but all must wake up to the plan.
Taken from the upcoming book titled "Cold Hard Truth" as seen from grass level. Soon to be released.
