ObamaCare Must Fail

Harsh words, I know, but it must fail or the change we were promised will be an America where the exceptional abilities of individuals are suborned to the perceived needs of “the many” by the ruling political class. Instead of equal opportunity, we will have equal outcome mandated by the government. This is unacceptable.

Our health care is among the best in the world. Those who say otherwise, especially “World” organizations whose dislike for America is palatable, are those who like to skew statistics to meet their own preconceptions. We are the envy of the world when it comes to the overall medical care and this is verified by the people from around the world who come here for treatments that they cannot get in their home countries. But do we have our problems? Certainly. And yes, things can be improved.

The question is not, “Do we want to improve the health care system?” but “How do we best improve the health care system?” It is certainly not by turning it over the federal government. The federal government does some things extremely well—providing for the common defense is one as we have a military without peer in the world and a law enforcement system that is envied even more than the health care system—but when you look at the federal government’s score sheet when it comes to social programs you see either failed or barely passing grades. By President Obama’s own admission, FedEx and UPS are doing great whereas the U.S. Postal Service is struggling to stay afloat. And look at the problems caused by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were central contributors to the current financial problem and are now in need of further taxpayer bailouts. To say that the federal government is not good at business is an understatement. And how could it be? The people who draw up the rules in Washington are not businessmen but politicians, many of whom have never been in business, and bureaucrats who have never been in business but have great degrees. The bottom line for them is not a profitable venture but did they expend all of their organization's budget allocation so that their bureaucracy can continue to grow. Success is not measured by any means other than an increase in Full Time Employee slots.

Need amore examples? Try Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. There is a very good reason that Washington politicians have exempted themselves from Social Security. They’ve been spending the money for decades rather than protecting it for the people who will need it in the future. (You wonder where Bernie Madoff got his idea for his ponzi scheme? Look at how Congress has handled Social Security. The only difference is that they can’t go to jail for doing exactly the same thing.) (A random thought: Putting Congress under Social Security as their only retirement program would result in it being fixed. Absent that, it will be broke in another decade.)

So what can we do? It is not enough to just say “No” to the vacuous enabling legislation that we call ObamaCare. We must force the federal government to get out of the way so that the extraordinary abilities of the American people can be unleashed. We begin this at the state level in the coming months by voting to replace incumbents at every level of government unless they have already committed to stopping the erosion of personal freedom by the federal government. And that is regardless of party affiliation, for the problem, while accelerated under the liberal Democrats, was contributed to by the Republican Party’s lack of fiscal restraint and purposeful growth of the federal government during the past 8 years. (To be sure, some of that was dictated by the War on Terror, but not all.) I urge you to support those candidates for office in your individual states that commit to expanding not the role of government in our lives but our role in government. I urge you to support those who commit to getting the government out of the way of Americans and following the Constitution with particular regard to the Bill of Rights.

So what should we do on health care? As the President and his minions have sought to demonize both the insurance industry and the medical profession, we’ll start there. More thoughts in my next blog.

In the meantime, write your Representatives and Senators to ensure that your voice is heard. Write them often and long regardless of their party affiliation.

And do remember the immortal words of Benjamin Franklin, “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But, then, I repeat myself.”

Now go forth and be safe out there!