Socialized Medicine HB 3200 - No Biblical Support

Originally posted on Chattyb Thoughts on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - see link at above of post

Dear Children and all others who read here, I cannot express enough the importance of reading this article. I received the link from the Allens in Texarkana. The author, Joe Crews, is a friend of theirs.

Without a doubt it is one of the clearest critiques of the nationalized health care reform from a Christian's viewpoint. The link will take you to the ChronWatch website where the article is posted. It will take about five minutes to read, but it is well worth the time. This articles directs the reader to the fundamentals behind the move to socialize the health care system and why it MUST be defeated. It does not go into the specifics of the bill but the basic philosophy of those pushing this reform on us and what their ultimate goal is--it isn't health care.

If you are not engaged in the battle to preserve our nation for our children and grandchildren, then perhaps this article will give you the incentive to get involved at some level. If you haven't contacted your legislators by phone, email, or snail mail, attended a town hall meeting or a tea party, or talked to people you know about the importance of resisting the passage of health care reform as designed by the liberal left, then it is probably time. (just my opinion; don't mean to be pushy)

There are areas in the health care system that need reforming starting with tort reform. These can be accomplished without completely demolishing the best health care system in the world.

Please get involved. After reading this article you will better understand what is at stake, IF you don't already. I know that many of you do. Thank the Lord!

Link: (copy and paste) I am sorry to say that tonight (11/11/11 at 11:00 p.m.) I tried to copy and paste the address noted below and was unable to find it. Chronwatch-America wasn't listed any longer. I have emailed Joe Crews to see where I might find his speech online. Hopefully he will supply a site. If not I will remove this post.

http://www.chronwatch-america.com/articles/5424/1/Socialized-Medicine--A-Prescription-for-Tyranny-of-Biblical-Proportions/Page1.html

Reflections

Just a little explanation on the "Reflections" title in some of my posts: I am distinguishing these posts as those that I transported from my "Chattyb Thoughts" blog. Since they did not receive much interest at that site, I decided to see if there was any interest out there in the politically interested community.

Any new posts here will not be entitled "Reflections." I welcome any comments or constructive criticisms that will broaden my understanding. Always be kind!

Reflections: Engineered Entitlements, written 2007

We are hearing the terms entitlement, entitled to, rights, and right to so often these days. I cringe everytime I hear them wondering what new entitlement or right has been discovered at taxpayers' expense. Should any entitlement/right be at the expense of another person. Should funding for an "e/r" demand the resources, money (taxes), talents, skills, services, etc. of other individuals? What do I really believe about rights?

Like other claims, these terms are used so often with the assumption that if the right or entitlement can be repeated often enough and loud enough and if it can be attached to a particular group, it can leapfrog right over the logic log into the Lake of Loosely Managed Legal Opportunism and onto a slippery, slimey lily pad of nebulous civic contracts. Gee, that was fun! Oh, come on now. Does it really have to make sense. Loosen up!

Have you considered what your basic rights are as a mere human on planet earth? The Bill of Rights enumerates a few for us as Americans.
#1 - freedom of religion (much diminished), speech (scratch this one, it's gone), press, assembly, & redress of grievances (overused-so many are grieved to the point of suing for $'s to soothe their little psychies);
#2 - freedom to keep and bear arms (under attack);
#3 - in peacetime military cannot take your home for housing without your permission (guess this one was a problem at sometime in our history);
#4 - protects against unreasonable search and seizure;
#5 - due process;
#6 - right to a speedy trial (really) and counsel (those speedy counsels are called ambulance chasers);
#7 - common law guidelines (don't really understand this one);
#8 - no excessive bail or fines nor cruel and unusual punishment (no problem there);
#9 - Constitutional rights do not deny or disparage other rights retained by the people (states); and
#10 - powers not delegated to the U.S. by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people (states rights - this one's in jeopardy).

Several years ago I heard a Republican couple claim on national t.v. that they had a "right" to good childcare. Oh, my gosh. I almost slid out of my chair. Republicans, no less. I always knew that Dems felt that if "they could name it, they could claim it" as a right. But a Republican. We are in dire straits, indeed. But then, I guess if it works for the dems....Nah. Can't go there.

So now in America we have a growing list of rights when my own personal list is soooo short. Here's my list: I have the right to:
#1 - live up to my potential limited only by my own initiative and choices, etc.;
#2 - work as hard as I want in order to obtain the kind of lifestyle I desire;
#3 - fellowship with God any time or place either aloud (some restrictions) or quietly;
#4 - commune with nature and enjoy the world around me any time or place;
#5 - love and appreciate my family and friends all the time;
#6 - * breathe natural air unpoluted by cigarette smoke and the obnoxious/dangerous fumes generated by corporations or the public who lack sensibilities or responsibility toward their fellow citizens (stop and take a deep breath-we're almost there) as long as it does not infringe on their ability to produce a product/service necessary for the continuation of the human race (necessary is the key word and sorry for the long sentence-are you okay?);
#7 - have as many children as I can afford;
#8 - starve to death if I decide not to work;
#9 - drop dead from an unhealthy lifestyle and too much Blue Bell;
#10 - control my own destiny and the destiny of my underage (17 yrs. & younger) children short of denying them food or shelter or imposing torture to their bodies (some is okay) or minds.

Well, I guess it is not so short. I may add to this list from time to time. These may not even be rights as much as they are personal responsibilities and consequences.

But, did you notice something about my list? None of my rights required your taxes to go up. None required you to help me out financially. And this is what makes my list totally out of the reach of the government and any intervention they might impose. There's nothing here that should require legislation for public funding.

The truth is that some of the rights I hold dear have actually been addressed in the halls of congress and some of those rights are being enjoyed now only until they are challenged in court. The one that comes to mind immediately is the right I claim to paddle my child (in theory only as my children are grown). Some state agencies want to eliminate paddling altogether. By virtue of the perceived threat of the state's intervention in this family matter, most parents feel compelled to relinquish this form of punishment rather than risk having their children taken from then while having to do battle in a courtroom to regain custody. The liberals have sold most state and federal agencies on the notion that paddling is a form of child abuse. This is, of course, contrary to Bible teaching, to good common sense, and the test of time. Generations of children were disciplined in this manner, suffered neither permanent damage to their posteriors or their personalities, and were safer in their environments than children of today. There is something to be said for a little healthy fear of pain.

The state has also sabotaged my parental authority in determining whether or not my child has the right to an abortion or the services of the local Planned Parenthood Clinic. I guess this is one of the most odious examples of the liberals move to take control of our families. We know that Planned Parenthood Clinics operate either on high school campuses across the country or very near the campuses in order to service their customers--our precious daughters and sons. All of this is done behind the backs of parents who would most likely refuse their services. School districts do not seem to protest this invasion of the home. The rationale for allowing this is the liberal argument that some girls would not seek their services because they would have to face an angry parent. Oh really! Being afraid of an angry parent has served for eons as a deterent to bad behavior.

Many of the rights proclaimed by groups and individuals are attached to a law or legislation that will require money from the national treasury for funding. For example, the right to: daycare and after-school care for children of working moms, summer school assistance plus daycare, health insurance for children of indigent parents, health insurance for all, etc. The list goes on.

I acknowledge that these "rights" highlight problem areas for folks in our communities who lack sufficient funds. My problem is that they are labelled "rights." They are not. One person, no matter what his/her plight, does not have a claim on another person's income or resources. We may, as a community or government, decide to assist people with problems, but not because they have a right to the assistance. They should get it out of our moral commitment to help those who need help.

It would seem that many today focus on what they can get from this country and not what they can give. Sounds like something President Kennedy once said, "Ask not ...." And, it is in the "getting" that the rights list grows longer and longer because folks have looked through the window of opportunism and not through the window of opportunity. Opportunism is the art, policy, or practice of taking advantage of opportunities or circumstances often with little regard for principles or consequences [Websters]. Opportunity exists when a person recognizes a good chance for advancement or progress when a favorable juncture of circumstances exists.

In America a favorable juncture of circumstances exists and has existed for several hundred years for most folks. Our culture has tried to right the wrongs of our history when various groups were denied access to those favorable circumstances. No culture is perfect; no governmental system is without flaws. To the credit of our founding fathers, a system to redress these injustices was written into our form of government, and the Bill of Rights took its rightful place beside the other important documents. Thus, with few exceptions, no person in America can say that they have been denied the right to follow his/her dreams and just maybe achieve them. Achieving them is not a right, only the attempt.

Bottom line: If a right requires that someone else pay, it isn't a right. Am I wrong? Whatever your feelings are on welfare or charity, the focus here is on the use of the term "rights." Check the Bill of Rights list. None require federal or state funding.

I welcome your comments. Would enjoy seeing your list of rights. There is so much more that can be said on this topic, but enough for now.

* On the national scale, types of air polution may require some legislation, but surely I should be able to suck oxygen in most places without someone's smoke drifting into my nose space. The exception-in your house or your space. I can leave.

Reflections: Hang In There! written prior to last election

Are you a Republican who is ready to throw in the towel, quit working in your local committee, and won't commit to give to any candidate? Well, cheer up and don't give up the fight--it is too important!


No party is perfect. No politician is without flaws. No campaign is without attacks on its opponents. If we have learned anything, it is that politicians are a reflection of the general population of fallible humans. It is our fault when we put people on pedestals--they are apt to fall off. We have to continue to look for the best among us to represent us.


Consider why you voted Republican in the first place. Surely it wasn’t because you thought they were perfect. You probably thought that their party platform most closely reflected your values on the economy and, more importantly, the culture. It was probably because you thought that they offered the most hope for pulling America back from the brink of socialism. You supported a Republican candidate because he/she professed values with which you agreed. Some actually hold to those values later as elected officials; others do not, and they disappoint us.


Without offering excuses for any mess-ups, either real or imagined, there is one overriding issue that should keep you working and involved: Supreme Court and lower court appointments. There may be several liberal Supremes who are waiting for a D president before they will retire. President Bush has appointed two very capable and, hopefully, conservative judges. The balance in the court still leans to the left too often to be considered conservative. If two more judges are appointed by the D’s, the balance will be decidedly liberal. This observation does not mean that the supremes always rule along party lines. They do not. Justice O’Connor has been a disappointment to some conservatives and was appointed by a R. But, the Warren court that ruled for decades took this country so far into the liberal zone, it will take decades more to find our way back to a "non activist court" and to a court that considers "original intent." Liberal judges down the line have so messed with the laws of our nation that they no longer make much sense. The concept of "original intent" offered an anchor to reason and consistency.


Thankfully, members of both parties worked to correct the glaring Consitutional inequities that allowed slavery/racial discrimination and denied women the vote, inequities that were a reflection of the cultural norm at the conception of our nation. These were destined to be corrected by a people who held the wisdom of the Bible in high regard and, occasionally, listened to their consciences.

Continue to be involved. You do it for your children and their children.

Comments by Daniel Hannan on YouTube

If you haven't seen this video of Daniel Hannan's speech directed at Gordon Brown, the acting Prime Minister of England, you must. Then follow the links to some of his other speeches. He says what needs to be shouted from every rooftop in America.

YouTube - News & Politics

Reflections: Capitalism Is Not A Dirty Word written June 13, 2008

The terms capitalism and socialism were commonly used and understood concepts when I was a youngster. Besides being taught their meanings at home in conversations with my folks, they were probably taught in the junior or highschool classroom. I always understood that America chose the former for its economic system over socialism, a system common to totalitarian governments where freedoms are denied. I understood why capitalism with all its "warts" offered individuals, communities, states, or countries the most freedoms, the freedom to achieve or fail. Note definitions at the end of this blog.

I am now wondering if younger generations possess that understanding. Probably, if you are reading my blog and I raised you, you do have this understanding. I made sure of that. I worry about the generations who have not been taught why it is so important to fight to preserve capitalism and the free enterprise system. I do not hear near enough political discourse/debate that clearly and boldly defines and defends these systems. Mostly I hear attacks.

The political rhetoric is so convulated in its explanations of issues and choices that it is hard to determine where capitalistic solutions can be found. Facts given as rationale for governmental action or programs or legislation have been replaced with feelings and twisted logic. If your intent is to stay committed to capitalism, you can become totally frustrated.

There are so many things worth fighting for these days: The Bill of Rights (and the correct interpretation of it), the Constitution (and holding to original intent), and America's sovereignty (and teaching recent generations what that means and what it will mean if we lose it) are but a few. I have recently heard a talk radio show host declare that our democracy has sold us out. I don't know if he meant that literally or was acknowledging the truth in the quote of one of our founding-fathers. I don't have time to find the quote, but it suggested that the founding-fathers had given us a wonderful form of government and unless we elected sincere Christians to office, we would not be able to hold onto it. I would add to that the need to elect not only sincere Christians but people who are committed to a sovereign America with a capitalistic/free enterprise economic system, and a representative democracy with an informed and active electorate.

Capitalism is not a dirty word!

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 a free market.

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 of society or group living in which there is no private property. A system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.

Ever hear the term "redistribution of wealth/property?" Our country today is in the process of socialization. We talk about socialized medicine; we have multiplying welfare programs; private ownership of land is falling under unjust application of "eminent domain" laws; the states are in a continual battle to maintain their states' rights. And, our national sovereignty is in jeopardy. It seems that every institution is under attack.

Reflections: On Immigration written on Sept. 11, 2007

While listening to debate regarding the immigration issue, I realized that I was not hearing an important rationale for preserving our long-standing immigration policy. I have no statistics to add weight to what I will suggest but will have to depend on my instincts and understanding based on 45 to 50 years of "paying attention" to political and civic chatter (I'm 67 yrs. old now).

I believe that what we are seeing in America today is a willingness to apply great leniency toward groups of folks who have shown a disregard for the laws of our land by entering illegally and who now want to stay. They and some American politicians and support agencies are promoting the notion that because they have worked here for a lengthy period of time, illegally, and have even borne children while here, their "desire to stay" legally should somehow trump our immigration laws. They will pay no real penalty, and they express their desires to stay in terms of "rights" due them. They even want us to refer to them not as illegals, but as undocumented workers or undocumented immigrants. I wonder how many Americans realize how politicians play games with words and how subtle word changes can support or undermine a plan.

There are many good common sense reasons why we should not travel the amnesty road. Amnesty is insulting to the great number of people who have plugged into the immigration process and have had to wait their turn. These folks have paid the full price for admission--time and money.

I won't bore you with the obvious reasons for rejecting the new immigration bill recently debated in America. But, have you considered this?

Let me start by asking what makes the U. S. unique and attractive? Why do so many people from every part of the world want to make America their home? What adjectives or phrases come to mind in describing America? Freedom, opportunity, open society, integrated society welcoming all newcomers, beautiful, productive, open to all faiths, tolerant, etc. The list could go on. Those are not things that are necessarily unique to America. You can put your finger on a world map and find places, countries, where some or all of the above attributes exist to some extent.

No, the thing that makes America desireable is her form of government. It is our representative democracy that makes all of her other attributes available to all of her people all of the time.

There is a real risk in allowing unchecked and illegal immigration. Illegals who want to bypass the naturalization process do not understand how our Republic came into being. What is even more discouraging is that more and more generations of Americans do not either. If they do not understand the sacrifice of our forefathers, the genius of the framers, the unrelenting desire for freedom of the early settlers and populace, then they cannot be expected to help us continue in our fight to preserve our form of government. If their desire to come here is simply to be able to take advantage of the opportunities, then at some point in our history we will no longer be able to sustain our form of government.

New immigrants who do not immerse themselves in "our" history, who openly defy any suggestion at assimilating and learning English and who fly the flag(s) of their former country will eventually dilute our culture. As new immigrants are steered into voting blocks, they will, because of their sheer numbers, be able to make the necessary adjustments to our Constitution that will make them more comfortable in their new homeland. At some point they will create a duplicate of the condition from which they left.

When the number of new immigrants is high, the process of assimilation is set back. Instead of looking for support in the existing communities of the major culture, they instead can find support among people who are experiencing the same challenges. This tends to set up sub-cultures and delays or restricts assimilation. Thus, the advantages they seek become illusive, and they become wards of the state and burdens to the taxpayers.

Mexico and the U. S. have a history of border disputes dating back to the land acquisitions from Mexico that became Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The dispute for most Americans was settled long ago. Evidently, for some Mexicans, the dispute is ongoing. They feel they are taking back what is rightfully theirs. Mexican President Felipe Calderone has been quoted as saying that wherever there is a Mexican, there is Mexico.

To sum up, our immigration policy should be mindful of the need for immigrants to be legal and limited to a quantity that can be assimilated into the major culture. It should also insist that new immigrants be well versed in the early history of America and how our form of government was developed. They should be required to learn English. They should be encouraged to appreciate and help preserve our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Reflections: We Need To Apply Shock Paddles to the Republican Carcass written Oct. 20, 2008 prior to Election

We had life once, you know–after 40 years in the wilderness and with the leadership of some dedicated congressmen and women and the help of bold radio talk show hosts who verbally prodded and poked at a drowsy and preoccupied nation, Republicans were propelled into a "majority" position by an awakened and fired-up electorate–a position that seemed to take Republicans in Washington DC by surprise. They were unable to shake off that minority mantle under which they dutifully accepted all short straws from the Dems in control of everything.

You have to give it to the Dems; after decades of giving the Reps the leftovers from their legislative banquet table, they knew instinctively how not to act as a minority party. They rejected the Republican model of playing nice and rolling over at chairmanship appointment slights; they screamed "foul" and ran to the liberal rags to broadcast their indignation and outrage, and no one pointed out that Dems wrote the play book on that legislative strategy and many others.

Reps, on the other hand, just couldn’t step up to the platter and demand what was rightfully theirs–respect, position, and conservative appointments and legislation. Too bad; we had a chance to make a lasting impact. We could have turned the country away from its march toward a total "nanny state," that’s socialism for the uninformed. We could have pressed for a continued national debate on the virtues of individual responsibility in areas of our lives where the government seems all too willing to insert its bureaucratic tentacles.

Grassroots party faithful looked on in disbelief as the Rep majority party in Washington DC squandered a great opportunity–an opportunity made possible by the hard work and financial sacrifice of the "little" people, the people who helped make the dream a reality. As evidenced by diminished financial support since the 2006 election, the grassroots sent a message to their political machine–"you have disappointed/disgusted us to the point that if we do not see a turn around, you will have to dig deeper into your own pockets to fund another campaign."

Well, venting feels good and accomplishes little. Sitting smugly in the corner during this election year is not an option. There is far too much at stake to invest all our energies in criticism and pity parties. Remember why we got involved in the first place–OUR CHILDREN, OUR GRANDCHILDREN, AND ALL WHO COME AFTER US. That is why we work to lift up the Republican and/or conservative philosophy. We fight to turn our nation back to the values of faith, family, and opportunity that our forefathers envisioned and fought for. We fight to save our way of life from extinction, and we fight for all our citizens no matter their race, gender, or social status.

If WE don’t fight to preserve our nation, then who will? There is an opposing army of liberals busy within our borders whose aim is to tear America apart so that they can put it back together as part of the global community. Remember the old conspiracy term–"one world government." You may have rejected that concept years ago as part of the hysterical right’s lexicon of nutty phrases, but it may be time to reconsider it as a real goal for some.

What will we say to our children when they ask, "Where were you and what were you doing when our Constitution became so twisted and misinterpreted by liberal judges that it became useless as a governing document, when the American flag became dishonored by its own citizens, when opportunities to achieve financial security and success were undermined by heavy taxes and burdensome regulations, when the cry of her people became, ‘But I’m entitled to that’ instead of ‘I’ll work hard for it and maybe get it someday,’ when leaders around the world lost confidence in America's resolve to support freedom at home and abroad and maintain a position of strength militarily and economically in order to insure its sovereignty, when becoming a citizen meant leaving behind old ways and loyalties, learning a new language, and assimilating totally into a new culture, and when its people were admired and emulated?"

Telling them that you got mad and just left it to the lefties won’t help them appreciate your indifference and the mess they inherited. Telling them that there wasn’t enough time in the day to get involved, support a party or candidate, to voice your ideas at a meeting, to carry a sign, to sign a petition, or to write a representative or place a timely call to his/her office won’t help either. But then, by that time, history may have been rewritten enough that our children won’t realize that there was a time when America was a free and independent nation full of people with imagination, initiative, self-reliance, courage, faith, loyalty, patriotism, etc. Maybe when that knowledge is no longer available to them, they won’t even be asking those questions.

But some of us will remember an America that we were proud of, and we will hurt for the generations who will follow and not know what they missed.