Posted by
perseveringjayhawker on Tuesday, December 12, 2006 12:22:48 AM
When was the last time you found yourself thinking, “my, I can’t believe how well this government agency operates!” Was it while you stood in line at the DMV? How about when you were dealing with the Social Security Administration? Oh, I know, it was probably while you were reading about the latest pork barrel spending schemes being cooked up at Capital Hill. Needless to say, we all know that if the government is in charge it will be slow, ineffective, and expensive.
With that in mind, why would anyone possibly think that a universal healthcare system is what this country needs? A little research reveals the sad fact that an American diagnosed with cancer has a 50-100% better chance of surviving than a person living in Britain where they already have “free healthcare”.
Speaking of free health care, universal healthcare is not free. The government would pay for this somehow. It would be on the backs of American citizens. What good would it do to wipe out a few hundred dollars of monthly health insurance premiums if our taxes were to go up by that much or more?
Is it true that few people can afford healthcare in this country. No. If it were true then that would mean our government cannot afford any type of universal healthcare plan. Government does not produce wealth. It does not make money. The only source of income it has is us. Any type of socialized medicine will be one hundred percent funded by the citizens. If we can‘t afford healthcare then neither can our government.
As compelling as all these reasons may be to avoid government run health care, it is not the main reason it should be opposed. Universal healthcare, like any other socialist agenda, is morally wrong. Socialized medicine begs the question that healthcare is a right. It is not. Our Constitution defines quite nicely what every man’s rights are: life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.
These God given rights are all ours for the taking; meaning they are all a call to action on the part of the individual. They are not to be given to the individual by the government, but are to be protected from the government. The definition of these inalienable rights means that the government may not interfere with your pursuit of them. This action oriented view of rights is what made America a truly free country and has proved to be the moral view. It operates on the concept of individualism, not the infamous greater good.
Now, in the name of made-up rights, our true rights are being trampled. The elitist politicians think they know how best to run our lives, making up rights that require no action or earning on the part of the recipient. When this happens, my so called right to healthcare is at the expense of someone else, leaving that other person “rightless”. They become a slave to my rights. Thus, no one in this type of system is free.
When the government arbitrarily defines a right what must they do to guarantee that right? How do they ensure these free services to the citizens? Personal freedom is thrown out the window and citizens are forced to become slaves to the state. Made up rights eliminate TRUE rights.
The proponents of a nanny state healthcare system never debate on the substance of the issue. They rely on us to think only with our emotions, not weighing the facts and the transcendent truths of the matter. There are many tragic cases of families who do not have good health care. That, however, is irrelevant to the facts. I do not have a right to force others to be servants to my wants or even my needs. Healthcare is not a right.