Bryan's Mind

I was a big advocate of health care reform, but the change I had in mind had a more altruistic flair, devoid of special interest and pork bellies. What I had in mind was intelligent bipartisan debate over what was the best course of action to ensure our citizens had adequate health care. That we could do careful study of other countries who have socialized health care and leverage lessons learned and improve upon their systems, not this lame excuse for universal health care. As the short-sighted “resolve on the fly and bring your pork” failed to reach anything that could be termed as a solution, our President grew weary and impatient and imposed a week or so to wrangle out the differences and pass a bill so he could check off an item on his agenda.

Before all of this transpired, I asked myself, “Does our government ever research anything?” Sadly, it would seem they do not. They think only of “what can we get for my constituency and possibly get re-elected?” Thousands of U.S. citizens have the knowledge of how health care works and could put together something good, but they weren’t part of the equation. That the money spent to research it could provide jobs and ensure a solvent approach. But this is health care we are talking about, where prevention is not part of the equation. But this pill they put together is very large, and without a glass of water large enough to swallow, will become a very dry and painful suppository in this country’s hiney.

But getting caught up into all of this minutiae does not really adequately define the ill feeling I am experiencing, and I think it goes much deeper than that.

The question to ask yourself is this: have we any freedom left? On Monday last, I was besieged with Thomas Jefferson quotes about the dangers of large government and social welfare. That the freedoms that were our forefathers’ legacy, won by bloodshed and incredible hardship should be given up with a whimper and leave our great nation a bankrupt mess.

Our bipartisan government does little to represent our National interest: the far left wants our inefficient government to help those in need, while the far right wants less business regulation and less taxes, but can’t seem to do so without pandering to special interest, primarily with big business and the rich. Throw in the whole abortion debate, three concurrent wars, Wall Street scandal, bailouts, The Fed, and Obama wanting to resolve the BCS, and we pretty much see that there aren’t many decisions left for us to make. The breadth of government control is such that the government is too unwieldy to function as a cohesive entity: decisons and programs affect other programs and get in each others’ way.

But the very root of all of this, the principal endeared by nearly all of our forefathers, save a few thousand Native Americans, is freedom. We should be free to make our decisions about what is best for ourselves. The idea of not having the idea to affect my own life in a way that I deem appropriate seems un-American.

But what about those less fortunate? What about those people? I think people would be able to help them more if they weren’t burdened by the labor of oiling the government machine. That behind every well-intentioned welfare program is a burgeoning bureaucracy haplessly rending it unwieldy and over-budget: simply government waste. And our country loves inefficient bureaucracy, and after generous application would drive any implementation over-budget.

One of the most ardently contested passages of our Constitution during its construction was “to promote the general welfare.” There were concerns even then that this would be a blurred line that was dangerous, as it could be leveraged to provide the Federal government power beyond its rightful means. And so it has, countless times. One well-intentioned bureaucracy at a time.

Without all of these welfare programs, government spending and control would be minimized, but it’s hard to convey that on Fox News, where they look like a bunch of zealots only intending to discredit and libel the liberal media majority, who in turn play up the role of the victims or lampoon and satirize the over-the-top accusations by Fox. It is almost comical, in a dark sort of way.

And the very idea of “redistribution of wealth” is unfair and Stalinist. Austrian Economics tells us that welfare programs end up bankrupting the middle class. No one is entitled in this country. No one. I believe this redistribution does more to injure the have-nots, as in this welfare state the people who are doing the paying for these programs feel that they “gave at the office,” and therefore are less-compelled to help those in need. But the government puts demands on those who would get this aid that they can’t always meet. Knowing where to go, what forms to fill out, targeting what they feel are the areas and demographics that need the aid. Do away with it all, and let us help those in need as we see fit!

Of course, all of this special interest favor is necessary for these politicians to be re-elected. But what about the ones that don’t and get re-elected anyway? (Ron Paul, and others). People respect fair leadership and doing what is right for this country.

I don’t want this health care reform to fail: that would mean National bankruptcy. I just want it gone, and all of this self-interest and special interest to cease. It’s making me ill…

Most countries have problems keeping their social health care afloat without a ginormous special interest group in the middle (insurance). Add a sprinkle (yeah, right) of bureaucracy to manage, and we should be bankrupt just in time for 2012…can’t wait for the Chicken Littles to start squawking…

On another note, all you people that will have health care that didn’t have it before…enjoy. And by all means, get healthy…harder times are ahead. But please, oh please, make sure you dispose of the American flag properly, after you are done wiping your arse with it.