Obama Care

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives. Today, facing our country, is a massive health care reform. Let me strike that. A massive health care takeover on behalf of the government. What a lot of people are not aware of, is the full extent of the damage that this bill can cause. Before I continue into a discussion of HR3200, the bill's official government designation, let me go into a small side discussion on health care.

Currently you may hear that 47 million americans are without healthcare. That sounds like an awfully big number. A large number that when weighed against the values that we Americans hold dear, like charity, neighborhood, and community, seems like a terrible tragedy. 47 million people? That's roughly 18% of the American population. Out of a random 100 people, 18 of them are uninsured. So when weighed against that idea, the concept of government run health care that is universal, sounds like a near blessing. Healthcare for everyone, regardless of where you work or how much you make.

Therein lies the smokescreen fellow citizens. That is what the Obama agenda is attempting to pass through the legislature at the national level. The ultra left is depending upon the values of charity, community, and better human nature to obscure the truth of the bill that they are proposing. Let me share a few simple facts on healthcare in America. First? Exposing the lies. First and foremost, the 47 million people.

According to a CNS news report*, the figure of 47 million uninsured takes into account 9.1 million American citizens who earn over $75,000 per year who specifically choose to remain uninsured. They opt not to purchase health insurance. Does anyone else remember the old adage? You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink? These are those people. It is their right and their freedom to choose to manage their own health without insurance. This figure also includes 9.73 million foreigners living in the United States. These are migrant workers, illegal aliens, and others who are not covered by health insurance in the United States. This brings the figure from 47 million, down to 28.17 million American citizens without health insurance. Those are 28.17 million American citizens who do not have health insurance because it is either unavailable to them, they are ineligible for it, or they simply cannot afford it. That still seems like a very large number. The 28.17 also includes children who cannot buy insurance for themselves and require their parents to have plans. All things said and done, the 28.17 million is approximately 9.1% of the total United States Population of 307 million people**. That is where the current statistics lie with our current private insurance free market healthcare supplemented by Medicaid and Medicare.

Now for some new statistics.

The HR3200 stimulus bill contains a proposed immediate 13.2 billion dollars in cuts t0 home healthcare Medicare coverage, with more over the next 10 years***. Senior citizens and even not so senior citizens who are bound in their homes with health issues can currently gain help in their treatment from nurses who go to their individual homes and provide a similar level of care to their patients as one would receive in a hospital. Approximately 12 million Americans receive home health care to stay in their homes. Approximately 1 million Americans are employed by home health care organizations. That is 13 million Americans that will be in serious jeopardy if funding to health care organizations that provide home health care, is cut. Apparently Universal Health Care does not mean that it is truly 'universal'.

Enough with statistics for now. Here are a few facts about Bill HR3200 straight from the pages of the text****.

Page 30 of this 1017 page bill admits that a government committee will decide what treatments and benefits that you receive with no chance of appealing the decision, not your doctors or local hospital, but beaurocrats.

Page 50 outlines that all non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services. Paid for entirely by the legal American citizen.

Page 59 outlines that the federal government will have direct, real time access to all individual bank accounts for EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) to pay for medical treatment services.

Page 72 states that all private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange. In other words? You agree with us, or you're not allowed to operate.

Page 84 then outlines that all private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange. In other words? You have to participate, no compromising, and in order to participate, you must agree with us.

Page 124 Despite anti-trust laws already in place, no company will be allowed to sue the US government for price-fixing, in effect protecting the US Government run monopoly on Healthcare from the Judiciary Branch's power of Judicial Review.

Page 145 All employers must auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan.

Page 167 Any individual who doesn't have acceptable healthcare (see Pages 72 and 84), will be taxed an additional 2.5% of their income. Translation? You don't like it? You get to pay even more.

Page 203 "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." In other words, when it says in the US Constitution, that the Legislature will have the power to tax? If it isn't a tax, it does not necessarily fall under the purview of the Legislature.

Page 241 Doctors, regardless of specialty, will be paid the same. The vascular surgeon, the geriatric oncologist, the neurologist, the neonatal specialist, and the general physician you see when you have a cold? Will all be paid the same, regardless of how long they spent in medical school or residency, regardless of how good they are as doctors. The best doctor in the country will make the same money as the absolute worst. Wherein lies the incentive for doctors to provide top level care or pursue even more challenging specialties if there is no greater reward?

Page 272 Cancer patient health care will be rationed based on quality of life and diagnosis.

Page 280 Hospitals will be penalized financially for what the government considers 'Preventable re-admissions'. Thus leading to less money to spend on equipment and continual education for doctors to give you the best healthcare possible.

Page 318 Hospital expansion is subject to governmental approval. A hospital wants to expand an ICU? Add an Obstetrics and Neonatal Unit? The government needs to debate and decide upon it first, thus denying patients that could use that care, the proper care they need.

Page 354 Government will restrict enrollment of 'Special Needs' individuals. In other words, universal government run health care is only for the healthy. Chronic patients need not apply.

Page 427 Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government will dictate how and when your life ends by cutting off medical treatment. In other words? If your condition is too expensive to treat? The government wants you to go home and die quietly.

Page 429 Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans from the government. See page 427.

Page 489 Government healthcare will cover marriage counseling and family therapy, getting involved in how your family dynamic and marriage relationship should be run if you have problems.

These above examples are but a few snippets from the first 500 pages of an over 1000 page document. An interesting side note. Politicians that are voting on this? Will not be subjected to it. They will retain their own private health insurance that they currently have. To the government, what is good for the goose is not good for the gander.

Citizens, what can we do? When we're faced with such an overwhelming threat to the personal liberty of how one dictates their own life, we have but one option. Stand up in defiance of the threat. How can you help? Call your senators. Fax your congressmen. Email both. Tell them how you feel about these invasions of your life! Obama-care attempts to point out similarities between Canada and the United Kingdom with this proposed care package. However, neither the United Kingdom, nor Canada, have provisions for the government to step in and deny health care to their citizens regardless of age, current medical conditions, or other criteria. The Canadian health system does not tap into your private bank account and withdraw funds, nor does the United Kingdom. Do not allow yourself to fall victim to the sweet lies being presented by people who claim to know how to better manage your life and your privacy better than you do.

American citizens must stand up for what is theirs. Their life. The first of our basic inalienable human rights. Call, fax, or in some way contact your representatives to Congress immediately and remind them that according to the American government, they are beholden to us! We are the people that vote. We are America.


Bibliography and Notes

* - Health Care Lie: '47 million uninsured Americans'; CNSNews.com: 'Obama falsely claims there are 47 million uninsured Americans'

** - US Census Bureau

*** - Home Care Statistics

**** - Library of Congress: HR3200 'America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009'

Living and Dying

So a while back, almost 6 months ago now, in January, I wrote a piece on this blog called "Dignity of Human Life". It was in response to a great number of things, but mostly to the Obama lifting of sanctions against funding abortions world wide. The post talked about life, how we define it, and how it is sacred.

Not long ago, Florida, and indeed the entire world faced the Terry Schiavo controversy, which was shortly followed up by His Holiness the Pope, John Paul II, dying in a scarily similar manner. It was a question of death, and where life and death met. Not many people liked the answers. Heck. No one really liked the questions either. Do we go through expensive therapies? Do we hook ourselves up to machines for long term care? Do we hold on to hope? Or give it up at the first signs of trouble?

No one can answer those questions for another human being. No one has the right to do that. Whether Terry Schiavo really wanted to live or die in her state will forever remain a mystery. No one has the right to determine whether another living human being should die and when. The only time it is remotely justifiable is in the defense of one's own life or one's family.

Just over 2 years ago, my grandfather died of terminal cancer. It had spread throughout his body and was, in the end, what caused a complete shutdown of his body. He died at home. He died with loved ones around him, and I thank God for the opportunity to be by his side when that happened. He fought for over 14 years against this horrible affliction. There were many times when he was close to death and he fought to bounce back. In the end, it overwhelmed him.

So what do we do about dying? Do we fight? Do we accept God's calling to come home? What do we do? A story written in the New York Times about a town in my home city, Rochester New York, hit me today as it showed up in the little podunk paper for the sleepy little town my parents live in here in Florida. The Sisters of Saint Joseph in Pittsford NY meet death with dignity. It's difficult in America, to talk about death. Talking about death for the average American, or even advocating death with a sort of dignity conjures up images of Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide advocates. It's something we sadly, as a culture, have to overcome. Death with dignity does not mean prematurely ending a life. It does not mean giving up on treatment that is certainly viable. It does not mean rotting away to nothing simply because you're sick.

These nuns are quite a vibrant little community, and very diverse. They receive medical treatment for things like cancer, as Sister Mary Jane Mitchell did, aged 65. Like Sister Marie Albert Alderman, 84, who sees a kidney specialist and manages her health closely to keep herself from having to go through dialysis. These are women who pray and live in the Gospel every single day, praising life in the Lord. To say that these women 'welcome' death is a blatant fallacy.

But one thing that must be remembered is that these women draw a line between extraordinary means and normal health care. The Catholic position, as they state in the article, does not equate to 'Do everything humanly possible to save a life'. Pope John Paul II elected to die with dignity when he had his feeding tube removed and passed on.

While life is certainly important, and must be defended, natural death is just that... natural. It is a part of the life we have as human beings.

So on that note. Hug your loved ones. Tell them you love them. Fight for your beliefs. And make the seconds and minutes count.

The Father of our Freedoms

Picture it. A hot day in July. People standing around arguing, complaining, whining about taxes and governmental regulation and power. They complained about a recent war that they, the people living here in America didn't want. They complained about the ineffectual leadership of their executive branch and demanded action. They demanded resolutions. They were a diverse group from across all walks of life. Some were lawyers. Some were brewers. Some were farmers. Some were ne'er do wells. They came from all over. New York. Georgia. Virginia. Massachusetts.

Some of these men were very educated. Some of these men were barely educated at all. There were lecherous men and there were pious ones. These were simple people. They were average. They drank liquor. They smoked and chewed tobacco. They enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

And they were all brought together for one purpose... To complain.

To issue a complaint so powerful it would change the course of human events over the next two hundred years of Earth's history.

Around 50 men gathered together and decided the fate of a nation.

July 4th 1776.

233 years later, we are sitting here in America. Many of us feel disenfranchised. We're living in a system where taxes are being raised, unemployment is rising, and we're expected to feed ourselves on messages of 'hope' and 'change'. Change is not necessarily good.

The result of 2 wars against Great Britain, 2 World Wars, a Civil War, and multiple smaller wars like Vietnam and Korea and Desert Storm has been to create and protect freedoms for the United States of America. We've fought to defend freedoms like the right to a redress of grievances from the government. The right to peaceably assemble and protest.

So this July 4th, I and my father will be attending a protest. I've received mixed reactions from this. Some have said "Go for it!". Others have expressed taking offense.

One in particular puzzled me. Saying that I should be sitting home with the grill and fireworks like most of America celebrating the freedoms we've won in the past. As a member of a military family, he took offense that I'd be spending the 4th of July protesting the Obama government.

Nothing like resting on our laurels.

Now more than ever is a time that we should remain vigilant. The Democrats haven't been lax in the last 8 years and now the opposite must remain true if our liberties are to remain intact.

So I will be going to that protest. I will be standing shoulder to shoulder with men who came before me. I will be standing alongside men like Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, and countless others who stood up and refused to rest while their government ran amok.

Happy Independence Day (albeit a little early) and remember. Freedom is not free. It is bought and paid for constantly by the vigilance, blood, and tears of those who fight to believe in it. It isn't won by complacency.