Health care or more money for the government coffers?

Above picture depicts Congress' idea of an angry mob - when you passionately disagree with the current Congress about the future of your health care, you are characterized as an angry mob and un-American! In July, the President insisted that the Congress pass the health care bill before the August recess. That directive, inspite of the people's outcry about Congress' failure to even read the bills they sign. They got away with passing the $780 billion economic stimulus bill earlier this year without reading it because it was of utmost importance that the bill be passed immediately - otherwise this United States' economy would sink into "mother" of all depressions! The people can be fooled once, maybe twice but not three times!

Power of the people?!!

There is still ongoing debate and fierce opposition to the proposed health care reform across the country. It's something the Congress and the current administration did not quite expect - perhaps because there wasn't that strong of a resistance when they passed the economic stimulus bill, they believed they could slip another one by the people. Wrong! While the impact of the economic stimulus is less personal and may have absolutely no impact on some, the health care reform affects everyone personally. People from Canada, UK and the European Union were interviewed and problems with national health care were highlighted.

In all honesty, it is difficult to assess the quality of health care, national or private until we or someone close to us face a difficult health issue and the rationing comes into play - there is no bed available at the moment, the doctor is still not available, the equipment is in use by another patient and the list goes .... For the rest of us, we have ordinary ailments - it makes little difference whether we are under a national health care plan or private plan - that I think is the ultimate truth.

Should we as Americans stop the runaway health care train now or wait for it to crash before taking actions? It might be too late then and the blood from the destruction that accompanies the crash is on our hands because we had the opportunity to stop it and we did nothing.

I have heard so much about the power of the people to change the course of events - one would think it should be a lot easier in a free, democratic country such as this United States versus say a "controlled" country like Iran. I wonder if the power of people can change the direction that this United States government is intent to take with health care reform.

Ultimately, the people of this United States really have no power when the checks and balances that the Founding Fathers put in place fails. When the people elect and put in power the same party in the White House and the Congress and those in power stop listening and working for the people who put them there in the first place, what do we have really? When politics overshadows the duty to put the people's interest first, when arrogance replaces common sense - we are lost as a country! We have lost the shining beacon on the hill.

We are not free when politicians feel they have absolute total power and can ram the government down our throats and intrude into every aspect of our life - how much income is too much, no flying in private jets when you're making losses, have healthcare that the politicians themselves would not subscribe to, starting from age 65, have scheduled meeting every five years with a government end-of-life panel to discuss our health care for the following five years - are we not creating more unnecessary bureaucracy at a time when we want to just live out the rest of our live without anyone including the government breathing on our neck.

We have earned our right to live it up after 65, not down!

The last thing we need at age 65 is the government insinuating that we are at the end of our useful life span when it should be the opposite. We are beginning a fresh new journey in life - it is our time to relax and actually enjoy life without having to answer to anyone!!!!. It is our time to live it up, not down. We have worked hard so we can enjoy our retirement years with no more 'bosses" telling us what to do! With the improvements in medicine and healthier lifestyle, we have 15-25 years of healthy and active life still install for us.

It may come as a surprise to the current Congress and administration that most Americans are actually very responsible people. We do take care of our health care choices legally under "Advanced Health Care Directive." Most doctors are, again big surprise, professional and care about their patients' health. They are continually monitoring the health of their patients and giving advice on healthy habits and choices.

Most Americans do not want the government to be our nanny - we want our government to make sure we are safe from those who wish to harm us, provide good infrastructure, quality public schools, and incentive for business to grow and reward people for their hard work - less taxes and keep more of what we rightfully earn.

Do not intrude into our lives. For those who can't take care of themselves, give them the tools, not handouts. Don't baby them from cradle to grave. It does not help them one bit. Don't encourage bad and irresponsible behavior with your policies.

Bad Example!

With respect to the economic stimulus bill, despite the so claimed "urgency" the President sat on it for the next several days. He flew to Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, Febraury 17 to sign it in front of 250 people at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with the Vice-President by his side. It is unusual for the President of this United States to sign legislation outside of DC - in fact, legislations are usually signed in the White House or at the White House lawn.

The President understands these are difficult economic times and ordinary, hardworking people must tighten their belts. The Congress chastised the auto industry's executive for flying to DC in their private jets at a time when their corporations were losing money. And yet, at a time when the government is spending money it doesn't have, it has seen fit to incur the cost of flying the President and the Vice-President (two planes - they cannot travel together) to Colorado when all the unneccesary expenditure could have been saved if the signing of the legislation had occurred in the White House.

The President understands these are difficult economic times and we must all tighten our belts and do our part. And yet, the President sees it fit to take his wife out on a date in Air Force One to New York because that was what he promised his wife before he became President. It is good to know the President is a man of his words, isn't it! We'd hope that the First Couple would also be a little sensitive to the current climate. Either one of them could have said, "Let's have that date in New York when there is official business there so we don't incur government expenditure unnecessarily."

I am reminded that the President took close to six months to select a dog for his daughters. Why doesn't the President and the Democratic controlled Congress take the time, exercise the same degree of care and thought when dealing with the people's business. Incurring debts in the trillions of dollars, reforming the health care and reforming the way business is done in this country should not have been pushed through as if failure to act this very moment would result in an immediate catastrophy.

Alternatives available and Reality

They must know that government legislations do not end with the current administration or the current Congress. All legislations have long and lasting effect on the people. Where there is doubt about the wisdom of transforming the entire health care system, doing nothing and taking the time to explore other viable alternatives such as tort reforms, increase competition by permitting health insurance companies to operate nationally instead of confining their operations only to states, ways for the government to cover pre-existing conditions that are uninsurable or create incentives for private insurance to provide coverage for pre-existing condition under a different scheme with higher premiums partly subsidized by the government. There are many ways to skin the cat - single payer system is not the only solution.

The claim that 45 million (top end claim) are without health care is not exactly true. Everyone has access to health care - by law, hospitals are not allowed to turn away a sick person. Some people choose not to be insured because they know they can access the health care system without paying a penny of insurance premium. Some people choose not to be insured because they are young and see no need for such insurance at their stage in life. Those who are poor are covered by Medicaid - provided by the government.

So, what the government is really trying to lay the foundation for an eventual transition to a single payer system to fill up yet another government coffer because everyone has to pay into it one way or another. Another pail of "chum" change in the millions, billions, trillions for the government to play with.

The government has argued that it would operate side by side with private insurance companies. At the moment, corporations subscribe to private insurance for their employees' health care and corporations are cost driven because they have a responsibility to show profits to their shareholders. If the government insurance premiums are lower, companies would subscribe to the government insurance scheme to remain competitive. Further, up to a point, it would not be feasible or viable for private insurers to compete with a government insurer - so the private insurers will eventually leave the market and the single payer system, as envisioned by President Obama will emerge in the not too distant future.

Some Congressmembers when asked if they would subscribe to the health care system they are prescribing said they would not because they are exercising the choice offered in the legislation to either go with private or public option. However, Congress and high level government officers will never be constrained like the private sector by costs or the need to show budgetary restraint, so they will never be confronted with the need to choose between a private or public option. Hell, Congress just added 4 Gulfstream jets to Pentagon's appropriation bill, adding some $500 million to the bill. Anyone who thinks Congress is or will be compelled some time in the future to go for the public option like the rest of us needs to wake up and pay attention to what is going on in the halls of power.

There are obviously serious doubt about the government's ability to run the health care system of this United States. It is clear from previous speeches made by the President and his "advisors" that the ultimate goal of the present health care reform is for a single national health care system.

In my humble opinion, a country as large as this United States does best when there is minimum government intervention. Governments, in general are notoriously inefficient because of the bureaucracy that is inherent in the system. Additionally, they don't have to balance their books and are not held accountable for their expenditure. When they need money, they either raise taxes on the people who worked very hard to keep their jobs or they print money, which is what the current administration seems very happy to do. Some have compared the current administration to a "teenager who got hold of his parent's credit card and went on a mad spending spree" - quite an apt analogy from where I am standing at this moment.

Hopes dissipating!

I had held out hope that the President, new and fresh, would have a different approach to government. I had hoped that one of his first acts would be to make the government more efficient and that means reducing the size of government. He, of all, people should know there is a lot of waste in a government as big as this United States. Instead, he grew the size of government. He has appointed over 30 czars to assist him in addition to what is currently in place to take care of the various aspects of the government's business.

Look east!

I fear the shinning example of freedom and free enterprise may eventually come from the east - where the sun rises. This United States is now dependent on China to buy its bonds and support its debts which begins with a T and not a B. Trillions of dollars appear to be a drop in the bucket these days.

China is lowering its taxes and providing businesses with incentives to grow their companies. Yes, Chinese people may not have freedom of speech. Just exactly how much freedom of speech do people of this United States have when political correctness is prized over our First Amendment freedom of speech.

In Singapore, economic stimulus means giving companies incentive to retain their employees and/or increase the number of employees by growing the companies. In the US, our President chose to follow the French, consult with the Germans and came up with a slightly different version of cash for clunkers program - by crushing some perfectly good whereas the Germans send their clunkers to the secondary scrap market. The cash for clunkers program is unlikely to effect any change in the auto industry which should have automated more of its processes a few decades ago - something the Japanese implemented way back in the early eighties.

How much protection are we afforded in life, liberty and freedom when animals are valued more than human life, when our enemies' opinions matter more than those of our own citizens?

The sun is fast setting in the west - which saddens me! Much of Europe leans socialist in many ways - which inhibited their ability to grow and be vibrant! This United States has been a strong advocate of freedom and the free enterprise system - all that great idealogy is sinking in quick sand for the last 7 months. Where will this United States be in the next 7 months. Will I still be able to recognize it?