Part 4 in the Health Care Reform Bill series

What is in the Democrat Health Care Reform Bill that is being prepared and tweaked in the back halls of Congress? 

The people of America do not know exactly. Republican Congressmen and women have not been invited into the process.  It seems that President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi do not know exactly, either.  But since they are acting as little gods in control of government, they feel no need to tell us until it passes. Obama and Pelosi have both all-knowingly said, “Trust me. You will like it.”

Even if “Mikey” does not actually like it, one thing is sure. This is the biggest attempt ever made by government to take over individual American lives and to control them. The health care industry represents 16% of our economy. 

President Obama feels he is destined to extend the socialization of America begun by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930’s with Social Security. He admires President Johnson, who started the Medicare entitlements in the early 1960’s with a mere $10 billion a year. And Obama absolutely reveres Senator Edward Kennedy, who tried for years to pass government-run health care. This one is being done for past heroes of his and for the future hero he hopes to be. This is all about gods (little “g”) and Government (big “G”).  Good as he spins the benefits of government control, all of America will eventually suffer for Obama's audacity and sense of Destiny.

I had promised to reveal some disturbing, even shocking, things about this bill in my series on health care reform. Because of the sheer size and mystery surrounding the bill, I apologize for not being able to cover this sooner. Even now, we know there will be surprises. But here is some of what passing this reform bill would do:

Would Increase Government Ownership of America:

President Reagan warned us of socialism, and he even had some success in turning back the growth of government, but the rise of government control and ownership has been steady since FDR.  Translate that also into increased taxation and spending by every President since Reagan. Now, Obama has made a campaign of wresting the rest of private enterprise and individual freedom from American citizens and making our wealth government’s wealth. 

Would Further the Relentless Rise in Entitlement Spending:

President Obama frequently holds up Franklin Delano Roosevelt as an example of what he hopes to do for America (or to America, depending on one's perspective).  He hopes to add to the already bloated government expenditure and control through various bureaucracies.  Here are some examples of how major social programs supported by federal tax dollars have grown and will continue to skyrocket in growth under this extremely liberal administration:

1) As of 2009, 84.8 million people depend on government for programs of assistance.

2) Education grabbed its share on an average of $24.9 billion annually at the federal level over the last 10 years.

3) Agriculture has taken a $47 billion annual average over ten years for such things as price supports for farmers, disaster relief, national parks, and food stamps. (Over half goes to non-farm subsidies.)

4) Welfare low-income-assistance and healthcare, begun in 1962, reached an annual $807 billion by 2009. (Statistics from The Heritage Foundation. See http://heritage.org)

5) The CBO, using very deceptive figures given to it by the Democrats, has just estimated that the Senate/House compromise bill they “deem to pass” will cost a mere $940 billion over the next ten years. Of course, this does not count the $500 billion that will be raided from seniors under Medicare and the mandates on states to pay $38 billion and increase their coverage percentage of Medicaid.

Would Further The Loss of Freedom under the Proposed Health Care Legislation:

1) Doctors will have a patriotic obligation under the liberals’ plan to give up about 20% in Medicare reimbursement. In real terms, this may mean cutting doctors' incomes by up to half.  As many as 40% of doctors may be forced to quit their practices or quit treating Medicare patients. 

2) The IRS will become stronger, not abolished as we had hoped. This bill anticipates at least 16,500 new IRS workers, required to police Americans and fine those who do not want to buy health insurance, do not need it, or cannot afford it. You must buy health insurance or be fined $695.

3) Under this plan, more than 150 new government programs will be created.

4) Elective abortion will be paid for by the government in three ways: a) a federal fund will be created by charging every policy a minimum fee, b) every insurance company would have to provide one plan that includes abortion and one that does not, and c) payment for abortion would be covered under the public option if it is included.

5) There is no guarantee that the public option will not be included at some point; and given that Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a liberal, is on board to vote “yes" on the bill, it seems more probable.

6) In Obama and Pelosi's eyes, insurance companies have become the villains responsible for high health care costs; so they will likely be   eliminated gradually or taken over by government.

7) Because of the Democrats’ plan to create a “Comparative Effectiveness Research Commission” of unelected government employees who would decide which treatments are most effective, doctors will quit and students will be discouraged from going into medical careers. If this bill passes, 8% of doctors plan to quit immediately, and 20% plan to retire early.

Would Sneak in Student Loans:

And if all this were not enough, the Health Care Reform Bill expands the federal student loan program, putting it under government control. Of course, this amendment has nothing to do with health care, except maybe to sicken us with more taxes. 

This protracted battle over the health care bill is all about little “gods” and  big “Government.” It is about the takeover by government of capitalism and the free enterprise system we valued in the past. It is about the furthering of socialism and the loss of freedom. Americans must wake up and fight this loss of freedom, wealth, strength and ability to care for our families and the needy, which is coming to America if we fail to speak up.

I leave you now with the definitions of capitalism and socialism, so you, the reader, can decide for yourself which direction America is taking.

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Definition of capitalism: “an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in the free market.” (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)

 

Definition of socialism: “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods...a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state...a stage end of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done. (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)