Hi, Jayson ~
I hope you're comfortable because this might take awhile. I also hope those interested have a good supply of popcorn handy.
Assuming you've followed this lengthy thread, you must be well aware that I've attempted to present some facts as well as my opinion regarding the 'ObamaCare' bill (now law) that is of great interest to AN patients (for obvious reasons) and
should be of interest to all Americans because, unlike some huge, expensive government programs of the past intended to 'correct' some real or perceived flaw in our society, this one includes a provision that
every American citizen is
required to purchase health insurance that meets a 'government standard' and employers are required, by law, to offer health care insurance to their employees. Failure to meet these requirements is punishable by hefty fines. Some Americans, even if they have every intention of purchasing health insurance, balk at the federal government demanding they do so and being subject to fines imposed by that government. The use of the dreaded IRS to enforce the requirement rankles some of us who believe that government should work for it's citizens and not the other way around.
Then there is the enormous cost of implementing this law. Not only will we pay a lot more in taxes to do what this program now demands but even those won't be enough to pay the billions and billions this program will cost. While you may be quite willing to have even more of your income taken by the government, some of us are not as sanguine about that, considering the heavy burden we now bear with federal, state and local taxes. This includes income tax, Social Security tax, state income taxes (for some, including me), local property taxes (on both home and vehicles, in my state), as well as state and local sales taxes. Few working people consider themselves under-taxed. When this kind of law is proposed, often the politicians will claim that they'll 'tax the rich' to pay for it or in the case of ObamaCare, 'root out waste and fraud' in Medicare. I've been around long enough to know from experience that there are never enough 'rich' to significantly cover the cost and that every major government program in the past i. e. Social Security, Medicare, has cost 10 to 20 times the original estimate. Our federal deficit is now almost 13
Trillion dollars! This law will add many more trillions to that debt. As I'm sure you realize, this is dangerous to the U.S. economy and not something we can ignore because that stratospheric level of federal debt will eventually have serious financial ramifications for
every American, not just 'the rich', and it's right around the corner, not decades away.
In my opinion, the corrupt manner in which this law was passed is a stain on our country's history and the politicians that were complicit in passing it. Bribes and special 'deals' for specific states, closed-door, one-party meetings and politicians demonizing ordinary citizens who opposed this bill at public rallies are not the way a democratic government does the people's business. Millions of Americans feel they have lost control of their government and that no one in Washington cares what the people want. This perception (accurate, in my opinion) is, first, a bit frightening, then the concern turns to anger and resentment. I believe this resentment will be seen at the polls this November 2nd and I suspect that even some 'good' politicians will be 'retired' due to the public outrage over the way this bill was passed into law and the unconstitutional provision it includes (mandatory health insurance coverage). Of course, I could be wrong - but I doubt it.
Frankly, what interested me most about your prior comments was your moral view of the rationale for this government-run program. Let me hasten to add that I think your view as it applies to the needy is commendable and I won't dispute it - but I will make some comments on that issue. I know something about Christian charity and the teachings of Jesus.
I'm a lifelong Christian and currently a Deacon in my (Protestant, evangelical) church. I'm in charge of our benevolence mission. I oversee thousands of dollars given (we don't lend, we give) to those in need, both inside and outside of our congregation. We have a very generous congregation and a few wealthy members that, if asked - and I have - will immediately write a personal check for thousands of dollars to a needy individual that they may have never met but that needs help. This is Christian charity and follows Jesus' teaching on giving and caring for our fellow man. I agree that the world would be a better place if we all followed that teaching. That is why churches have missions and 'outreach' programs. However, the reality is that society does not really follow that teaching and while most people have good intentions, Americans, as a whole, are not voluntarily going to pay for other people's medical care. I understand this because most of us are middle class and with taxes and prices being as high as they are, we simply can't afford it. Here is where we may part company on this issue.
Although anyone can receive medical care without having insurance at any ER (and many folks do, every day) I do not subscribe to the view that , generally speaking, health care is some kind of 'right' and because there are poor people and/or those without health insurance in America, often by their own choice, our government has the constitutional, legal authority to impose on it's citizens a Draconian health care program that will raise our high taxes even higher and very likely diminish the quality of our superb health care system as well as have many other unintended consequences, as these gigantic government programs always do. This is, in a roundabout way, forced charity that makes some folks and many politicians feel good but does great harm in many ways, such as causing economic hardship when the U.S. economy craters due to our unsustainable national debt and the doctors that will retire early, rejecting government bureaucrats deciding their incomes and dictating their practice of medicine, thus causing a greater strain on a system already being strained by the addition of millions of new patients. I could go on but I trust you get the point.
In the final analysis, I believe your philosophy is sound but the government's role in our democratic republic has been badly misunderstood by many. Jesus stated (Mark 14: 7) that
"the poor will always be with you' as a way of reminding us what is truly important. Jesus was very concerned with the poor and helped many but I cannot see a relationship between personal charity and a massive government program that takes, by law and with serious penalties for disobeying that law, money from one group of citizens to pay for other citizens needs. We've done this for almost 50 years with welfare programs - and the poverty rate remains static. Our taxes pay for unemployment benefits, which I - and most Americans - support. Our taxes pay for federal and state Medicaid programs that help the indigent with their medical bills. People my age receive Medicare, which will soon be cut and restricted to help pay for the costs of ObamaCare (but won't come close to covering them). My point is that our federal government does many things for the 'needy' using other people's (tax) money but cannot take the place of personal charity and caring people. History proves that. While we all have good intentions, using the government to perform tasks best left to the private sector is financially unsustainable and, if history is any guide, a potential failure that will render unintended negative consequences such as decreased medical innovation, long waits for medical procedures and a general diminishing of health care for all. I don't believe that some folks feeling better about 'helping the poor' (because they pay taxes) is worth that and I seriously doubt that Jesus would approve of 'Caesar' (Matthew 21: 21) doing what we, as individuals, should be doing. The reality remains that government rules by force, not moral law.
Jim 
