How Do You Eat An Elephant?

The recent passage of the healthcare bill is no victory for the American people and to think otherwise is bordering on insanity. We, the American people, are not so stupid as to believe this healthcare bill as anything to do with us. If it did, the American people would have had been heard when they emphatically shouted "NO! WE DO NOT WANT THIS!!". This healthcare bill serves only to further the Democratic / Progressive agenda. They now have healthcare, student loans, education, banking and the car companies under the government umbrella. Does anyone see the implications here? Do you think this is coincidence? There is an old proverb that is beginning to make sense to me now. The question is “How do you eat and elephant?” The answer is simple: “One bite at a time”. America and what we stand for is being eaten away, one bite at a time.

Under the current bill, it will be illegal to be uninsured. That is fundamentally wrong in and of itself. While government may have jurisdiction to regulate interstate commerce, they cannot mandate that we buy anything. That’s not regulation and if someone chooses not to purchase health insurance, there is no commerce there to regulate. There is nothing in our constitution that states healthcare is a right, first of all, and nowhere in the constitution was the government granted authorization to mandate that anyone must have health insurance. Pelosi and Obama behave as though it’s not already illegal for health insurance companies to cancel your policy if you get sick or to deny coverage for preexisting conditions. Those two issues were settled long before this bill was passed. So I ask you; what did the passage of this bill accomplish other than the allowance for more government control in the personal life of the people? Another question to ask yourself; If this healthcare plan is as good as we are being told it is, then why is it that our own government is exempt from mandatory participation in the plan? Are they not “of the people”? Does that not make you question the bold statements in favor of this bill? Stop and think for a moment. More bureaucracies and more government involvement in the private sector equal bigger government and more government control. In other words, a ruling elite class separated from the rest of us. Obama promises that he will go after the nameless rich fat cats and help spread the wealth and level the playing field. In reality, what he has done has ensured that the American people will be a nation dependent on the government. That was never the intention of our founding fathers.

Furthermore, congress has now begun to define our rights as a people. While constitutionally it is not within their power to define these rights, congress has given themselves the power to do so. Once our rights are defined by others, they can (and will) be able to take those rights at any time. That in itself is something to think about. If you buy into the current mentality that the government is responsible for providing your home, education, job and healthcare, you have given them power over your very existence. The price is far more steep than you may think. Do not forget, the government cannot give you anything without first taking it away because the government itself has nothing to give that its people have not already given. When the state fixes potholes in your road or repaves a highway, do you think the state is giving this at no cost? No, your taxes pay for the maintenance necessary for our roads and public areas. This is why they are able to enact legislation where these things are concerned. Public roads, maintained by the taxpayer money, require legislation to protect the public who uses the roads. Thus car insurance is mandatory. While I may not agree with this, I do see how it came about. However, the difference with car insurance should be obvious. The individual state governments do not attempt to supply the car insurance while effectively blocking all other private insurers from the market by phasing them out all together so that the public only has one option for car insurance. They only state that you must have it in order to drive on public roads. You are still free to choose which company you want and what premiums you are willing to pay etc…again, while I may not agree with it, it is a perfect example of what can happen when a body of government assumes control of a private sector. This leads me to my next point; once the government is in charge of your healthcare, education, job etc…they will then be able to legislate what you can and cannot do and in that vein, rightly so. If you were to start a business or take on a major investment, would you leave your business in the hands of an irresponsible employee and give them the freedom to run things any way they chose? No, you would not. You would hire competent individuals who have knowledge and experience in the kind of business you own. They would, in turn, come up with rules and regulations to ensure that the business ran as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. This is the direction America is heading. All of you who believe that you are entitled to the things we are being promised are in for a rude awakening when all the “free” stuff comes with a huge price tag. The price includes but is not limited to, less money in your pocket through higher taxes and less freedom through legislation of personal choices. You like fast food? Better think twice before you eat something containing anything deemed unhealthy by the FDA or the soon to be appointment government healthcare panel. Fats, trans-fats, sugar, alcohol are all bad for you and if you are among the millions who consume these things regularly, don’t think for a minute that your “free” healthcare won’t be reduced based on your risk factors. Medicare is conducting what they call the PQRI project where they require participating doctors to ask certain questions when patients come in to be seen. The questions are related mostly to lifestyle. Do you smoke? Is the patient obese? Do you drink alcohol and if so how much and how often? Answers to these questions are reported with codes to Medicare. My belief is that once the “study” is complete, benefits will be adjusted accordingly. It’s a way to cut cost by reducing benefits for those who lead “unhealthy” lifestyles while maintaining coverage in a government run plan that is in danger of economic failure. Now, if this is the case with Medicare and that only covers a portion of the populace, what do you think an entire government run healthcare system will be like? That’s a scary thought isn’t it?

For the reasons stated above and many more I haven’t even touched on, I am genuinely saddened by the outcome of the healthcare vote. It has become increasingly apparent that we are no longer a government of the people, by the people or for the people. The people have been ignored.