I was recently discussing the proposed "health care reform" in this country with a family member. My family member is a proponent of nationalized health care for all and cited the successes of this system in England. I had intended to only have a brief conversation regarding the issue but soon found myself diving into it head first. I quickly realized that this was not a 30 second response and the following blog was created. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Exercise your free speach!
Nothing is free. Everyone in the U.K. is covered but their tax rates reflect that. This country is a Democratic Republic not a Socialist State. While I agree that everyone should have health care I do not agree with the fact that the government should provide it nor do I believe that they have the right to mandate it.
Health care is a privelage not a right, similar to a driver's license. No one is entitiled to it. There have been times in my life when I have been uninsured and that is a direct consequence of my life choices. This nation has become great by each individuals personal efforts and not through hand outs from the government.
The governments purpose is to provide for the common defense, regulate interstate commerce (this term was intended by the founding fathers to mean keeping commerce regular not actually interferring with or "regulating" it), settle disputes between the states, and a few additional related items. The federal government was never meant to be intrusive. The founding fathers were breaking away from an intrusive government and had no intentions of creating another one. Infact, that is one of the reasons for our constitutional right to bare arms. It was meant as a last line of defense for the citizens to prevent their government from taking over their lives and trampling on their individual liberties. When the government no longer serves the people it is the right and duty of the people to rise up and replace it ( I believe that Thomas Jefferson said that but I am not certain.).
The current government is working tirelessly to erode our individual liberties. I don't just mean this administration, although they have been extra active. The Patriot Act is a perfect example of this. What in the heck are we thinking allowing this nonsense? The government has no business telling me that I must purchase medical insurance or pay a fine. They have no business telliing me that I must pay for someone else's insurance either. I find the concept to be Constitutionaly offensive and perverse.
If someone wants insurance and can not afford it then they need to figure out away to buy it. Go back to school, get a different job, cut their budget (who needs a $5 Starbucks coffee everyday?). We rise and fall on our own individual efforts. That is what has made this country great. You are only limited in life by yourself. Besides, there is already a system in place to guarantee that no one (legal or not) goes without life saving medical care.
Before anyone reading this thinks that I am a cold hearted you know what I want to also mention that I do believe we have a moral obligation to take care of our poor. Taking care of these people should include a path out of poverty though. This path should include medical care, financial assistance, food assistance, housing assistance, childcare assistance, and educational assistance.
This path must lead them out of their poverty. Our goal should be to help these people help themselves not perpetuate a cycle of permanent poverty and government reliance. Helping these people to help themselves is an investment in all of us. I also recognize that there are individuals which will never be able to get off of government assistance.
These people include the mentally disabled, permanently physically disabled, etc. These individuals may need our assistance for the rest of their lives and I have no problem with that. I firmly believe that it is our moral obligation to provide for them. We are the "Shining City on the Hill" (Ronald Reagan). Those who fall into this category, however, represent a very small minority.
The socialist hand outs, including welfare, have gone to far and need to be severly overhauled and many of them eliminated. It makes me sick that as a matter of financial budgeting I have choosen not to purchase vision or dental insurance but the person next door on welfare not only gets amazing medical insurance but also vision and dental. Seriously, do these people really need to have perfect teeth or glasses every year. I say no. If you want it then get a job and pay for it. Don't come looking for a hand out from me.
This same everyone wins and no one looses mentality is spreading to our kids as well. I have seen numerous competitive events where there are no winners or loosers. School sports programs don't cut kids. Schools don't want to fail kids because they'll hurt their little egos. Give me a break!
What in the heck are these kids going to do when they get into real life and their boss actually expects results or they will be fired. We as Americans are loosing our sense of individual accomplishment. We are relying more and more on handouts and others to take care of us. There is a drastic decrease in the sense of personal responsibility and accountability among the current generation. They all want everything now and they expect to get it. They feel entitled although they have done nothing to earn it.
I am very concerned about what this country will look like in 20 years if we all don't get a reality check. Heck, even businesses are on this band wagon. Oh no, we're out of money. We need stimulus funds or we are going to go out of business. Well guess what people, it is ok to go out of business. Banks fail, businesses go broke, people loose their jobs. It's called the free market.
What we don't hear anything about is the fact that everytime a business or industry goes away a new one takes its place. It is up to us as citizens to educate ourselves and adapt to the new market. Those who adapt will succeed and those who don't go extinct. A great example of this is in the movie "Other People's Money" with Danny Divito. There is a line in that money which talks about the last buggy whip company in the country and although they made a great buggy whip people just don't need them any more. Adapt and look for the new market. Capitalism, Free Market, Entrepreduership, America.
So in summary, I do not believe in socialized medicine nor the governments right to impose such a thing. If people want a free handout then they are in the wrong country. There are pleanty of European Socialist countries where they can get this. Infact, Canada is only a few hours flight to the north. I would suggest to those looking for that life style to consider relocating. In the words of our Founding Fathers, "Don't Tread On Me!".
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Freedom Prospers When Religion Is Vibrant
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.-Ronald Reagan.
People need to remember that this is a country which was settled by Puritans. They came here looking for religious freedom not freedom from religion. In fact, Separation of Church and State is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution. The concept was first developed by Thomas Jefferson ("wall of separation between the church and the state") and he intended it to prevent the State from interfering with religion. Check out this website for some historical perspective http://www.allabouthistory.org/separation-of-church-and-state.htm .
One of the best things that Americans can do to help their country is to refocus their lives on their individual faiths. Those in power know the true power of God and they do not want mass uprisings. That’s why they take every opportunity to minimize religion and remove its very presence from public life. A recent example is Obama’s April 2008 speech in which he minimized people who “cling to guns or religion”. Even the Nazi’s respected the Vatican and did not occupy it during their occupation of Rome. “…. upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18.
They even go so far as to threaten churches with the loss of their federal tax exempt status if they do not keep quiet on politics. This, however, is an empty threat. Think about it, if the federal government were to remove the tax exempt status of churches then that would allow the churches to form PACs (Political Action Committees) and hire Lobbyists. We all know that the NRA, Trial Lawyers, and Unions have major influence in the government because of their PACs and Lobbyists but can you imagine the power of the Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Mormons, and Methodists joining together to get involved in politics and stand up for what is right? With that amount of fundraising power and a common goal they would become a Juggernaut. Even the Catholics or Mormons alone would be an unstoppable force.
There is, however, a very serious problem that many people are going to encounter when trying to refocus their lives on their faith. That problem is the fact that many of the liberal progressive churches are in love with Obama and all of his nonsense. Many of them are so enamored with Obama’s eloquence that they either cannot see or do not want to see the truth. The leaders of these churches need to take a moment and reread their bibles. They must choose which master they truly serve and their congregations must call them out on this. “No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will have hatred for the one, and love the other, or he will persevere with the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Mathew 6:24.
There is a lot of “change” occurring in this country right now and it isn’t change that we can believe in. Rather, it is change we should fear. We all need to speak up for what we believe and let those in power know that while there are areas which need improvement within our country it does not need to be dismantled and rebuilt.
There are plenty of developed European nations in which socialism and nationalized everything is currently being practiced. Europe is a beautiful place and I invite those looking for a socialist state to relocate there. As for this country, we are a Democratic Republic with a foundation built on Judeo-Christian values, individual efforts, and unlimited potential. I firmly believe that we are rapidly approaching a point in time when people are going to make their voices heard and those that seek to impose their beliefs upon us will discover that there are far more of us clinging to our guns and religion than there are of them.
We are the majority, they are the minority, and it’s time for their tyranny to come to an end.
Nemo me impune lacesset
People need to remember that this is a country which was settled by Puritans. They came here looking for religious freedom not freedom from religion. In fact, Separation of Church and State is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution. The concept was first developed by Thomas Jefferson ("wall of separation between the church and the state") and he intended it to prevent the State from interfering with religion. Check out this website for some historical perspective http://www.allabouthistory.org/separation-of-church-and-state.htm .
One of the best things that Americans can do to help their country is to refocus their lives on their individual faiths. Those in power know the true power of God and they do not want mass uprisings. That’s why they take every opportunity to minimize religion and remove its very presence from public life. A recent example is Obama’s April 2008 speech in which he minimized people who “cling to guns or religion”. Even the Nazi’s respected the Vatican and did not occupy it during their occupation of Rome. “…. upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18.
They even go so far as to threaten churches with the loss of their federal tax exempt status if they do not keep quiet on politics. This, however, is an empty threat. Think about it, if the federal government were to remove the tax exempt status of churches then that would allow the churches to form PACs (Political Action Committees) and hire Lobbyists. We all know that the NRA, Trial Lawyers, and Unions have major influence in the government because of their PACs and Lobbyists but can you imagine the power of the Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Mormons, and Methodists joining together to get involved in politics and stand up for what is right? With that amount of fundraising power and a common goal they would become a Juggernaut. Even the Catholics or Mormons alone would be an unstoppable force.
There is, however, a very serious problem that many people are going to encounter when trying to refocus their lives on their faith. That problem is the fact that many of the liberal progressive churches are in love with Obama and all of his nonsense. Many of them are so enamored with Obama’s eloquence that they either cannot see or do not want to see the truth. The leaders of these churches need to take a moment and reread their bibles. They must choose which master they truly serve and their congregations must call them out on this. “No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will have hatred for the one, and love the other, or he will persevere with the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Mathew 6:24.
There is a lot of “change” occurring in this country right now and it isn’t change that we can believe in. Rather, it is change we should fear. We all need to speak up for what we believe and let those in power know that while there are areas which need improvement within our country it does not need to be dismantled and rebuilt.
There are plenty of developed European nations in which socialism and nationalized everything is currently being practiced. Europe is a beautiful place and I invite those looking for a socialist state to relocate there. As for this country, we are a Democratic Republic with a foundation built on Judeo-Christian values, individual efforts, and unlimited potential. I firmly believe that we are rapidly approaching a point in time when people are going to make their voices heard and those that seek to impose their beliefs upon us will discover that there are far more of us clinging to our guns and religion than there are of them.
We are the majority, they are the minority, and it’s time for their tyranny to come to an end.
Nemo me impune lacesset
New prayer for the Obama faithful
Here's a new prayer for the Obama faithful.
Our Father Obama, who art in D.C., hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in America as it is in Europe. Give us this day our daily bread, medical insurance, unemployment checks, retirement checks, and all our hearts desires. And forgive us everyone in the world for our trespasses, as we were wrong to interfere in your affairs, including World War II. And lead us not into competition and hard work, but deliver us from independence and freedom. For thine is the true kingdom, absolute and unlimited power and the glory, which is beyond reproach, for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Father Obama, who art in D.C., hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in America as it is in Europe. Give us this day our daily bread, medical insurance, unemployment checks, retirement checks, and all our hearts desires. And forgive us everyone in the world for our trespasses, as we were wrong to interfere in your affairs, including World War II. And lead us not into competition and hard work, but deliver us from independence and freedom. For thine is the true kingdom, absolute and unlimited power and the glory, which is beyond reproach, for ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
We're Online!
My new blog is up and running. Check back soon as I will be discussing the rapid loss of our personal liberties and the erosion of the Constitution. The time has come for the silent majority to make their voices heard.
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty". Thomas Jefferson.
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty". Thomas Jefferson.
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