My Moral Obligation?

On Wednesday, August 19th, Mr. Obama reached out to liberal and progressive religious figures to help spread the “good news” about health care reform and to set the record straight. During that conference call, he addressed those who were “bearing false witness” and spreading lies regarding his heath care plan. He remarked that the numerous false claims were “fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation…I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper, and in the wealthiest nation on Earth right now, we are neglecting to live up to that call.”

A moral and ethical obligation…really? Is it a right of every American to have affordable and quality heath coverage? I would argue, no. It is not a moral right for all Americans (or those living in America) to have health coverage. It is a privilege to live in the wealthiest nation on Earth, and with that privilege comes an opportunity to receive the world’s best heath care.

(First of all, there is a difference between heath care and health coverage. Heath care is the treatment and management of illnesses, as well as the preservation of your health through services offered by medical professionals. Health coverage, or health insurance, is insurance that pays for medical expenses. Individuals pay either a premium or taxes to help protect themselves from high or unexpected heath care expenses. Mr. Obama believes it is the moral obligation of government to provide affordable, quality health coverage.)

Those in support of health reform have been asking questions…what about the young couple who have to take out a loan to pay for the birth of their first child because they can’t afford the cost? What about the recently laid-off father who now has to pay for a sudden and unexpected surgery of a sick child? What about the single mother working three part-time jobs and cannot afford to get her own heath insurance? Why should I have to pay for the upgraded cochlear implant that I want, but is too expensive?

According to Obama, I am my sister’s keeper, and it is my moral obligation to help pay for her surgery, health insurance and any future coverage that is too expensive for her or her children … all while paying for my own. But I see a glaring problem with this. I cannot control how my sister lives her life. She may choose to smoke for forty years or maintain a steady diet of Red Bull and Krispy Kremes while working as a crab fisherman off the coast of Alaska. How she lives and the risks she takes are her choice. It is not, then, my obligation to pay for her when she gets sick or injured. Nor is it her responsibility to cover my medical expenses if I decide to go mountain biking around the edges of a quarry in the rain (which is very risky…believe you me).

As my sister’s keeper, I would encourage her to quit smoking, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Or to wait to have children until she and her husband have a steady job that provides heath benefits, or to get rid of her monthly cable (gasp!) and internet bill in order to pay her monthly premium. The point is, I would do a much better service for my sister by encouraging her to make better financial and health decisions.

Of course not all health care needs are a result of food choices or job-related accidents. The cost of prescription medications are high, employers sometimes drop coverage for their employees, some individuals have pre-existing conditions which insurance companies are not willing to cover, and many doctors practice defensive medicine which quadruples your hospital bill. To all of that, I would say TOUGH.

Did I just say that? It sounds so…heartless.

We do not have a perfect medical system in America. No one, including myself, is arguing for the status quo. But what I cannot get passed is the amount of people interviewed on television, showing up at townhall meetings with signs, and writing on blogs who have their own problem. Or they know of Sally Smith’s problem that lives down the road.

I truly believe that in America, given the chance, people will figure out a way to take care of their own. Once upon a time, Americans did this. Previous generations lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. America survived the Jimmy Carter years which produced a worse recession than the one we have today (including unemployment rates that neared 16%). But Americans rose to the challenge each and every time. And we are still – still - living in the most prosperous country in the world.

So I say again, TOUGH. As Thomas Paine said, these are the times that try men’s souls. Find a way. The government must not intervene to fix every problem we encounter. If citizens believe it is the obligation of the government to pay their hospital bills, there is no end to what the government should, and will, control.

Where is the passion to make it on your own? To find a way, when there seems to be no way? To go from rags to riches, without a government handout? In the words of George Washington, “perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” And in this age, I put my trust in the average American to find their way rather than trust the government to find the way for us. I take that as my moral obligation.

For a great article:
The Claremount Institute, "Is Heath Care a Right?"
http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.1607/article_detail.asp

Un-American?

From a good friend of mine and a good man. He said:

"I just read an article wherein Nancy Pelosi said that people who were crying out about the health care package were 'extremist' and 'mob-like'. She actually described them as 'Un-American'."

A few other thoughts in the form of questions:

*Isn’t the way we are rising up against a political agenda actually the way that we became AMERICA??

*Is Nancy Pelosi so far out of touch with reality that she doesn’t know about the Boston Tea Party?

*To compound matters, the MSM (Main stream Media) is reporting her comment without a proper rebuttal. If a republican had made a statement like that, wouldn’t the press feel obligated to put a negative spin on it?

*Why are regular people, who are speaking highly articulated concerns at town halls, being referred to as 'astroturf' by Ms. Pelosi?

*How is it that a mere concerned citizenry is being labeled as 'radical' and accused of practicing 'mob tactics'? Are they suggesting that any dissent, even if it is a well-spoken logical question, is a 'mob tactic'?

*If you get a little frustrated and visibly perturbed when someone with a microphone at a town hall meeting is repeating things that logically do not make sense, over and over, does that justify your comparison to a 'mob'?

*Have we forgotten the silence of Ms. Pelosi in years past when her anti-war activists were performing mash-pit-rave-concert-style rushing of political stages, meetings, and conventions? Did she ever comment on the blood pouring on war memorials? Where was her press release when 'progressives' burst into sessions of congress to throw blood on anyone who didn't move out of their way? How about the disrespect shown at military funerals by anti-war protesters? Where was her 'leadership' then?

*Where was Ms. Pelosi when a plot was uncovered (people were actually arrested in a raid before they could carry out the attack) to throw acid on members of the 2008 Republican National Convention as they made their way into the convention center in Minneapolis? Was that un-American Ms. Pelosi?

So let's get this straight: if we get mad - at all - about the current health care debate (or the fact that the Obama administration essentially wishes not to have one), we are un-American?

This reform was pushed on us so fast, we hardly had a chance to say "what?" Why does it take years to prosecute known felons or months to overturn a speeding ticket, but a trillion dollar plus health care bill must be passed in a few weeks? Why the rush?

Also....uh...where is the logic here? That's right: there isn't any.

"It is error alone that needs the support of government. The truth can stand by itself."

~Thomas Jefferson

Speaking of quotes, my #1 quote of all time is this:

"The true task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there."

~John Buchan

As a young Marine, I read this quote in a classy pamphlet about becoming a Marine Officer. I remember the day precisely. My first thought, after a brief reflection, was that it represented an approach to leadership drastically different from a ram-it-down-the-throat style.

In my youth, at times I felt fairly unproductive and that my life was just a repeating cycle of frustration. I wasn't directing my energies (and maybe a little aggression) at the right things, or at least in the right way.

Knowing the context of leadership, the real stuff in how to define it, would have allowed me better focus. My problem was that I didn't know that I was broken. Not only was I not a leader, I didn't even have some of the basic principles down pat - some of them I had never even discovered.

But I will say this, when I saw others practicing good leadership, I seemed to gravitate toward them. It felt right. Wherever they were going seemed to make sense, and being associated with them not only felt good - it was good. They were always sucessful.

On the flip side of that, many times though as a youth I was just mad at people or things that were attempting to control me. I couldn't stand being controlled by people who didn't seem to stand for anything that seemed to be meaningful. In high school I hated the 'everyone wins-don't-ever-get-mad' ideology, where essentially nothing was worth fighting for - the only great idea was always to just do as you were told.

The Marines changed that in me (except I did as I was told, at least most of the time). From day one I saw that when Marines said something, they backed it up. Outside of my parents and a handful of inspiring adults who influenced me for the better, it was hands down 100% different leadership than anything I had ever seen. It meant something to me, and it was quite a profound thing when I stepped into their recruiting office. Now, that lesson means the world to me. It always will.

I think most people have the instincts for sensing when there is an injustice taking place. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights just defines what the standard is. And now, through this health care debate, Citizens are re-discovering what that standard is. I think many people are shocked at the disparity between what the Founding Fathers intended and what we now see on TV.

Most importantly, what we do based on our discoveries and how we continue our efforts to define the problem through research, and how we continue our research in order to figure out how to fix the problem - that is what defines us! We are defined by independently applying our principles!!! Peaceful action!!!

The recurring thing I find in life is that people will always surprise you. Old ladies you might meet on a plane actually have a great head for leadership. Old men, who are humble as can be, can tell you at story - and they will let you learn the lesson from it.

The point is, listen to the wisdom of our Fathers and stay involved. It must be a constant thing! If recent times seem like a painful and scary awakening, it could have been avoided if we had just kept a rotating 'fire-watch' schedule that kept us all alert 24/7 since 1776. We must all realize that we are our own protectors - always!

As these recent times have taught us, if you belong to any sort of defined group - a workplace, a neighborhood, whatever - stay connected to people who seek the truth in life and who have shown you the ability to think for themselves. Learn from those who stand in front of you, beside you, but also from those behind you who will follow your lead!

It must a remain constant that we revisit what has been learned from history. New complexities are making the situation today seem murky when it otherwise should be simple. Principle can connect the dots for us in that way; principle can make clarity of a mess. Complex things can become simplified. The point is, through the use of principle is what America was designed to be! Use it, fix our Nations problems by applying it, and never let things go unchecked again for so long!

FYI Barak, Nancy, et al. - if you are teaching, never act aloof to your students. You can stop trying to "put greatness into humanity" as though you are better than us. Apparently you don't understand that "the GREATNESS is already there" in the humanity of America. If you are to be successful you may try altering your approach, that is, if you think you have it in you.

In the 2010 mid-term elections we need to use our voting power to rid ourselves of any politician who has skylined themselves as simply inept in understanding the Consitution, history, or what their role is in serving the People. We must realize that it is our Nation's identity and moral fiber to handle our OWN business! Prosperity lies with the individual! Prosperity lies with those who will stand for what is right with others who share similar values and principles!

"It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others: or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own."

~Thomas Jefferson

The shockwave that such clueless people have been legally allowed to represent us has finally been felt; the degradation of the quality of our leaders over time is astounding - from Jefferson to Pelosi; Washington to Harry Reid? The realization of this disparity should motivate a revolution of new public servants! Do you have it in you to step up to the plate to serve the interests of your friend and humble neighbor? Maybe even your whole neighborhood, for the sake of truth and prosperity?

If the Constitution were a full glass of nourishing milk, this socialistic agenda is an empty glass with sour milk residue just sitting in the sink. The person who put it in the sink doesn't have the common courtesy of loading it into the dishwasher, and doesn't care or understand why that is wrong. In recent weeks, the common small town man or woman has emerged as having 10 times the character and principle than the Speaker of the House of Representatives! The Greatness is already there!

God Bless America - the place where the People cannot be silenced!

Mr. Obama, I Have Some Questions For You.

As an opponent the current proposed health care plan by President Obama and congress, I would like to practice my First Amendment rights and speak my concerns. Though I am not an economist nor hold a degree in political science, I am still a quizzical American. (Even if Nancy Pelosi wants to call me “un-american” for my dissent … “Hello, pot? This is kettle. You are black.”) So if I were blessed with the opportunity to speak directly with our president regarding the proposed plan, this is what I would ask him:


1. Have you read the bill- completely?

I really don’t think that needs to be explained in more detail.


2. If this “public option” is your best option for uninsured Americans, then will you, your administration and congress be the first to sign up for it?

Around election time, every politician totes their desire to serve the American people to the best of their ability. You swore on a Bible to do just the same on inauguration day. And if our 111th congress is truly proposing a plan that will be the very best they can create for Americans, then I assume it is good enough for all of you and your families.


3. What’s the rush?


Remember the stimulus that “had to be passed” if we were going to save the economy back in February? CNNMoney.com reported on August 8th that of the $787.2 billion stimulus funds, about 29% are just now available for use, and only 15% of the stimulus total has actually been paid out thus far.

And remember TARP? You know, the program that intended to purchase assets and equity from financial institutions in order to strengthen the financial sector? As of February of this year, $194.2 billion in TARP funds were given to 317 financial firms, but only two (yes, two) were required to say what they would do with the money.

Forbes.com reported “[t]he watchdog for [TARP] will push banks and other companies that got federal bailout money to detail what they plan to do with it. Why? The government hasn’t asked.” Neil Barofsky, TARP’s special inspector general, wrote a letter to Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, in which he said “[w]hat remains almost entirely opaque, however, is what has been done with the TARP money.”

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report stating that the cost of the health care reform proposal will cost at least $1.3 trillion through 2019. On June 15th, TheHill.com writer, Alexander Bolton, wrote “[t]he CBO released a report … estimating the cost of a leading healthcare reform proposal at more than $1 trillion, but that figure looked only at a portion of the bill … [and] does not include an estimate for a highly contentious government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurers.”

And lastly, we have “cash for clunkers,” in which your congress budgeted $2 billion for the program, estimated to last until November 1st … but ran out of money in four days. This “economic booster” for the American people sure worked well. In fact, six of the top ten car models sold were made by Toyota, Hyundai and Honda.

So. Your administration wants another trillion or more to fix health care ASAP. But the stimulus hasn’t been spent, nor are we sure of its effectiveness. The usage of TARP funds is about as transparent as swimming through a swamp and the financial institutions who received the funds are held as accountable as letting detainees at Guantanamo try each other in court (don't get any ideas). And your administration’s ability to budget numbers for your proposed health care bill and the “cash for clunkers” program are so grossly inept that I wouldn’t trust any of you to balance my checkbook. Maybe it would be best to take some time. Read the bill, study the possible outcomes and costs, listen to those who agree and disagree with the bill and re-read the constitution, bill of rights and federalist papers before you rush to pass something (i.e. anything).


4. How are you going to pay for your proposed plan?

At a townhall meeting this morning, a woman asked Arlen Specter this very question. His roundabout response tried to explain that health care savings will pay for it. Savings found through pre-screening for certain diseases and cancers, as well as pursuing preventative health methods, will keep Americans healthier and thus out of the doctor’s office. The woman asked him again, “but how are you actually going to pay for it?” Specter then replied, “That’s all I can tell you.”

Isn’t that like saying, “I’m going to pay off my credit card balance by only going shopping every other weekend? The amount I save will pay for my bill!” Saving money in the future doesn’t pay for something now. Try that next time you want to buy a Camry.


5. How do you expect to offer insurance for every American and lower costs?

Patients on Medicaid use the emergency department much more frequently than patients with private insurance. Medicaid patients use the ER 82 per 100 people, whereas persons with private insurance use the ER 21 per 100 people (aafp.org). It’s just a fact. If you didn’t have to pay for a service, you don’t care how often you used it, as Medicaid patients prove.

So what happens to the amount of services used if another 20 or 30 million people are now on the government plan, and pay little to nothing? The services are used more, and subsequently, the costs go up. More doctors are needed; more hospitals, more supplies, more drugs, more of everything. But according to you, Mr. Obama, the costs go down. How, exactly?


6. If the “public option” you are proposing is just giving uninsured Americans a “choice,” what’s wrong with the 1,000+ private insurance plan options we can currently choose from?


Mr. Obama, you have been quoted many, many times saying that your health insurance plan would simply be another choice to compete with private insurers, and help keep them “honest.” But doesn’t a free market system do just that? If company A is offering a product that cheats its consumers, and company B is not, then company A will inevitably fail. That’s a free market economy.

Besides, we have over 1,000 current private health insurance plans and companies. You don’t think your government-run insurance company, no. 1001, will keep the rest in check, do you? Unless you have other motives … You know, like when Barney Frank said that this proposed plan is the only way the government will get to a one-payer, universal system mandatory for all Americans… cough, cough.


Thomas Jefferson said, “Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear.” I believe in questioning boldly. Not because I am conservative and you, Mr. Obama, are a liberal. Not because I’m part of some “astroturf” movement paid by the Republican Party to make a stink. But because our government is for the people, by the people. And I don’t believe our government is either right now.

Here is an excellent article that dives into the details, costs and inevitable consequences of the proposed health care reform:
http://www.heritage.org/research/healthcare/bg2224.cfm