This author does an excellent job of explaining the problems with universal health care.
Health Care Mythology (20 minutes of reading)
Friday, July 31, 2009
Prayer and Politics
We need to pray for those politicians and others who seek to do what is right. They need God's help to be able to anticipate and prepare for the needs of the future. They need His aid to prepare against changes in politics that would destabilize provident and good living. They need our prayers, as well, that they might be able to discern between honest men and deception, and bring dirty politics to light.
In my opinion, our nation needs God's help. We need God's help to understand what to do. I hope we all ask Him to guide us in our decisions, opinions, sources of information, and in who we support.
In my opinion, our nation needs God's help. We need God's help to understand what to do. I hope we all ask Him to guide us in our decisions, opinions, sources of information, and in who we support.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Reasons to oppose government healthcare.
The first article gives three main points:
1) The need for personal responsibility in providing for others.
2) The need for checks and balances to prevent abuse.
3) Hesitance to make irrevocable change.
http://darwincatholic.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-conservatives-oppose-universal.html
Another blogger pointed at this site, which collects articles on many aspects of the debate:
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/sergeman/issues/healthcare/socialized.html
Here is another article:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/07/23/health_care_mythology_97552.html
For me, what it really comes down to are philosophical and religious in nature, and the opinions I have are based on those principles. Others who share those principles disagree. I think it would take a book to treat the whole issue. I present some principles and subsequent opinions below. For evidences of these things, please read the sources I already gave.
Principle 1: Self-reliance and personal responsibility. One religious leader I respect said he would not do for another man what he could do for himself. Another said that any government aid program should encourage people to become self-reliant. I once heard someone say that discomfort motivates the idle to make something of themselves. Human nature tends to favor reliance on others or the system, and abandonment of responsibility. Also, putting large programs in place tends to quell people's sense of responsibility. A friend of mine who volunteers for emergency services pointed out that since the advent of cell phones, people are less likely to stop and help on an accident scene. I think cell phones are not the cause of this behavior, but an evidence of an increasing attitude that others (read: government) can take care of the problem.
Principle 2: Individuality and Customizability: Governments can either spend a lot of money micromanaging individuals, or spend a lot of money on fraud and getting jipped. I once heard a financial advisor say he believes there's no magic solution to saving, spending, or managing finances: that the individual is the best judge of his own needs.
Principle 3: Choice, aka Freedom, aka Ownership: If government takes responsibility for healthcare, then any failures are the responsibility of government, and government is slow and hard to adapt to new situations. Also, we are hardly taught sacrifice and compassion, nor given the parallel blessings from god for such, by being forced to do charity, nor of giving from the pockets of our neighbors.
Principle 4: Power corrupts. Our nation was founded by men who did not trust power or government--hence the checks and balances. The use of force means that we have no alternatives if anything goes awry. Right now, if you dislike the system, you can change to a different system.
Principle 5: Lawfulness. The US. Constitution currently does not allow government welfare (see the 10th amendment). We should follow the higher law of the land, or amend the constitution. I favor the former, not the latter. Also, Bastiat defined justice and law in his pamphlet "The Law", and explains it very well.
Principle 6: Privacy. In order to grant such comprehensive healthcare, the government must be made much more aware of the details of our lives. Privacy has to do with decisional interference, chilling free speech, and many other things that most people don't consider fall in that realm. Daniel Solove has written books, articles, and papers on the issues of privacy. I also found a book via google on the surveillance of government in the lives of single mothers on welfare in the USA--I didn't read it but its premise was a bit uncomfortable.
Principle 7: If someone is failing, don't give him power to fail bigger. The government health care system isn't working. Giving it more money is a bad idea. Why give someone with a poor track record more power to make a poor track record? Also, refer to previous principles.
Finally, I give a glimpse of evidence. A member of my family has experienced a life under government healthcare. He has seen people become less willing to help, their consciences salved somewhat by the presence of government healthcare. The government help is always insufficient, slow, officious, and expensive in time and effort that one who is sick already has little to spare. It rarely meets all the individual and precise needs, and often requires silly or inapplicable tests or paperwork. It prevents him from saving money and thus becoming self-reliant. The benefits are effectively reduced from year to year despite so-called adjustments for inflation. And so forth...
1) The need for personal responsibility in providing for others.
2) The need for checks and balances to prevent abuse.
3) Hesitance to make irrevocable change.
http://darwincatholic.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-conservatives-oppose-universal.html
Another blogger pointed at this site, which collects articles on many aspects of the debate:
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/sergeman/issues/healthcare/socialized.html
Here is another article:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/07/23/health_care_mythology_97552.html
For me, what it really comes down to are philosophical and religious in nature, and the opinions I have are based on those principles. Others who share those principles disagree. I think it would take a book to treat the whole issue. I present some principles and subsequent opinions below. For evidences of these things, please read the sources I already gave.
Principle 1: Self-reliance and personal responsibility. One religious leader I respect said he would not do for another man what he could do for himself. Another said that any government aid program should encourage people to become self-reliant. I once heard someone say that discomfort motivates the idle to make something of themselves. Human nature tends to favor reliance on others or the system, and abandonment of responsibility. Also, putting large programs in place tends to quell people's sense of responsibility. A friend of mine who volunteers for emergency services pointed out that since the advent of cell phones, people are less likely to stop and help on an accident scene. I think cell phones are not the cause of this behavior, but an evidence of an increasing attitude that others (read: government) can take care of the problem.
Principle 2: Individuality and Customizability: Governments can either spend a lot of money micromanaging individuals, or spend a lot of money on fraud and getting jipped. I once heard a financial advisor say he believes there's no magic solution to saving, spending, or managing finances: that the individual is the best judge of his own needs.
Principle 3: Choice, aka Freedom, aka Ownership: If government takes responsibility for healthcare, then any failures are the responsibility of government, and government is slow and hard to adapt to new situations. Also, we are hardly taught sacrifice and compassion, nor given the parallel blessings from god for such, by being forced to do charity, nor of giving from the pockets of our neighbors.
Principle 4: Power corrupts. Our nation was founded by men who did not trust power or government--hence the checks and balances. The use of force means that we have no alternatives if anything goes awry. Right now, if you dislike the system, you can change to a different system.
Principle 5: Lawfulness. The US. Constitution currently does not allow government welfare (see the 10th amendment). We should follow the higher law of the land, or amend the constitution. I favor the former, not the latter. Also, Bastiat defined justice and law in his pamphlet "The Law", and explains it very well.
Principle 6: Privacy. In order to grant such comprehensive healthcare, the government must be made much more aware of the details of our lives. Privacy has to do with decisional interference, chilling free speech, and many other things that most people don't consider fall in that realm. Daniel Solove has written books, articles, and papers on the issues of privacy. I also found a book via google on the surveillance of government in the lives of single mothers on welfare in the USA--I didn't read it but its premise was a bit uncomfortable.
Principle 7: If someone is failing, don't give him power to fail bigger. The government health care system isn't working. Giving it more money is a bad idea. Why give someone with a poor track record more power to make a poor track record? Also, refer to previous principles.
Finally, I give a glimpse of evidence. A member of my family has experienced a life under government healthcare. He has seen people become less willing to help, their consciences salved somewhat by the presence of government healthcare. The government help is always insufficient, slow, officious, and expensive in time and effort that one who is sick already has little to spare. It rarely meets all the individual and precise needs, and often requires silly or inapplicable tests or paperwork. It prevents him from saving money and thus becoming self-reliant. The benefits are effectively reduced from year to year despite so-called adjustments for inflation. And so forth...
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