Elections have consequences – now what? The ramifications of Health Care Reform

I haven't blogged for awhile, but last night's death knell to freedom prompted me to write this new blog entry.

Much of my wife's family came to the United States as political refugees escaping the corruption, socialism and the Daniel Ortega type of liberation theology oppressive style government that was and is Nicaragua. Little did they know that just shy of 32 years would their style of government be the type of government we now embrace in the United States. We are now witnesses to the change about which Barack Obama spoke. We are seeing the disappearance of what the United States of America was to the New United States of Europe. This is not a time for celebration; this is a time for mourning. We will enter the five states of grief Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance as described by Kubler Ross. But once we enter that fifth stage, we must stand up strong, regroup and begin the fight. We cannot sit on our laurels, and let the inevitable happen. We must take back our country.

 Before the election of Barack Obama, few knew who Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi were. But, those of us who were paying attention knew very well who they were. We knew that this country would effectively be run by three people, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the newly elected Barack Obama - But what happened after Scott Brown won the election in Massachusetts. We thought the health care bill was dead, but not Nancy. On January 28th, Nancy said the following, "We will go through the gate. If the gate is closed, we will go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we will pole vault in. If that doesn't work, we will parachute in. But we are going to get health care reform passed for the American people for their own personal health and economic security and for the important role that it will play in reducing the deficit." She did not waver; she continued the fight. We need to learn from her example; we can take this country back.

 Make no mistake; this is the legacy President Bush left us. When Republicans lose their way, conservatism fails. When conservatism fails and becomes indistinguishable from liberalism, voters see no reason to keep the party in power. But, even after the election of Scott Brown, I sometimes wondered if Republicans were really getting it. Some did but some did not.

If this reform stands, what will happen? First the insurance industry will collapse. Insurance companies will not be able to make a profit given the new federal mandates. We will see larger insurance companies merge with the smaller companies, but that will not be sufficient. The entire insurance industry will be obliterated. Once the insurance industry is gone, Barack Obama will blame the insurance industry for its demise, and then say we needed a public option from the start, and the only way to pay for it is through more taxes. One tax which they are already looking at is a European style VAT (value added tax). The VAT is added to every part of the production cycle of a product thereby substantially increasing the price of consumer goods. This will have the added effect of lowering productivity. Companies will also look for other countries where it is cheaper to do business.

 Of course, the immediate effect will be to increase the unemployment numbers, because thousands of new people will become unemployed. The AP reported the following:

Caterpillar Inc. said the health-care overhaul legislation being considered by the U.S. House would increase the company's health-care costs by more than $100 million in the first year alone.

In a letter Thursday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Caterpillar urged lawmakers to vote against the plan "because of the substantial cost burdens it would place on our shareholders, employees and retirees."
Caterpillar, the world's largest construction machinery manufacturer by sales, said it's particularly opposed to provisions in the bill that would expand Medicare taxes and mandate insurance coverage. The legislation would require nearly all companies to provide health insurance for their employees or face large fines.
The Peoria-based company said these provisions would increase its insurance costs by at least 20 percent, or more than $100 million, just in the first year of the health-care overhaul program.

This is only the beginning. Companies will begin to layoff because of increased costs. Investor's Business Daily listed 20 ways Health Care Reform will take away our freedoms. I believe there will also be a backlash against Mexicans. Barack Obama lied when he said, "Illegal Immigrants would not be covered under this health care reform." Barack Obama was a constitutional law professor. Constitutional attorney Judge Napolitano says this about covering illegal aliens, "There is no question that under the present law, Congress simply cannot pick and choose which "persons" to whom it will afford social benefits and to which "persons" it will not. How could the president not have known that?" When everyone's premiums begin to go up, the quality of care begins to go down, and taxes begin to increase, Americans will look for a scapegoat. Mexicans will be the scapegoat, because people will see that they are paying for healthcare for illegal immigrants. This is currently happening in France with the Muslim population. In 2006, the average unemployment rate among Muslims in France was 21%. The Muslim situation became so bad, that the French went to the polls and voted in a center right politician Nicolas Sarkozy. He campaigned in part to deal with the Muslim problem. I have a couple of friends in France, and both have told me that the average Frenchman is tired of the Muslims coming to France, using the social services and not contributing to society. Mexicans come to the United States to work hard for their families, and to earn a living they cannot earn in their own country. But, the fact remains that they will be covered under this so-called health care reform. The idea that illegal aliens are covered will not matter until the health care Americans receive goes down and until taxes begin to rise (which will be sooner rather than later). Americans will then look for someone to blame, and illegal immigrants will be the likely culprits.

 This is nothing less than a loss of liberty. The left believes they have won another big one towards complete government control over our personal freedom. Whenever you ask a liberal how we are going to pay for this, they always revert to the Iraq war somehow thinking that it is analogous to what Barack Obama is doing. It reminds me of a certain friend. The wife is the sole breadwinner. Her husband has not been able to find a job. They have five kids, rent and a car payment. The wife impulsively decides to buy another 33,000 dollar car. She doesn't make a lot of money, but for some reason, she buys a car knowing she cannot afford it. But, it doesn't seem to be a problem. It is like the bumper sticker that says, "How can I be overdrawn, I still have checks." This is the liberal mindset, and this is the way our government continues to operate.

 I fail to understand how any Christian who believes in the sanctity of life could ever have voted for the most radical abortion president this country has known. Stupak can no longer say he is pro-life. Phyllis Schlafly put it succinctly when she said in response to Stupak's "yes" vote,  "It is naive for any elected official, especially one who describes himself as 'pro-life,' to expect that a promise to issue an Executive Order that reasserts the intentions of the Hyde Amendment will be fulfilled by the most pro-abortion president to ever sit in the White House. Perhaps Mr. Stupak and his fellow pro-life Democrats forget that President Obama's first Executive Order was the repeal of the Mexico City Policy to allow for international funding of abortion." Trust Obama on the sanctity of life? – I think not.

 I was reminded of the fact that God continues to be in control. When it appears God has abandoned us, that is when He is doing His work, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 We must not be disheartened. This may be what is required to purify the party. This has to happen. This is a fight between good and evil, and we will eventually win. We have to persevere, but we must not rest on our laurels.

 If you are a conservative and value your freedom, get involved. Facebook is a great medium. Those who are most impressionable and who have not yet been brainwashed are the youth. We have to teach the youth. They do not remember the Carter years or the Reagan years. We must teach them. Make an impact on anyone who will listen. If you have determined the person will not listen and is wrapped up in leftwing ideology, move on. And, if you know how to communicate conservative principles, think about running for office. If you speak Spanish, get involved with the Spanish community, because there are currently no media outlets that reach the Hispanic community on conservative principles, and most of all if a person refuses to stand up for life, then go to the next person, because a person who refuses to stand up for life will not stand up for what is right. That is the way we effect change.

 

Health Care Reform or Bust!

I have been having a lively debate on facebook with a former high school classmate of mine. He says he is a centrist, but for some reason unbeknownst to me, half the liberals I talk to say they are centrists. On his facebook profile page, his political view states the following, "Whatever causes the greatest good for the greatest number." I suppose that would be my philosophy too. I also suppose that that would be the philosophy of most. So, how will healthcare reform cause the greatest good for the greatest number. It won't.

Obama's presidential approval ratings continue to plummet. The latest Rasmussen presidential daily tracking report shows a presidential approval index of -12. In January, Obama's approval rating was +28. Democrat pundits will continue to decry those who are against Obamacare, "They haven't read the bill." "They are misinformed." "They are only repeating what Fox News and right wing radio have told them." The reason Obama tried to shove this bill down the throats of American citizens before the August recess in the first place was so Americans didn't have a chance to read and understand the bill. Obama was afraid that once Americans discovered what really was in the bill, they would reject it - so much for transparency.

No matter how Democrats try to paint it, if Obamacare passes, there will be rationing. It is the only way to decrease costs. It is the basic law of supply and demand. When you have a higher demand with the same amount of doctors (or fewer), the government has to ration. This has happened in the United Kingdom and It has happened in Canada.

The president of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr Anne Doig said this about the Canadian system, "We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps running flat out, we're all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands." Polls tend to be misleading whether or not Canadians like or dislike their system because until you need the healthcare, it doesn't really matter. What is more important is how Canadians perceive their healthcare vis à vis their U.S. counterparts. According to Gallup, one-fourth of Americans are completely satisfied or somewhat satisfied. This level of satisfaction is significantly lower in Canada, where 57% are satisfied with the availability of affordable healthcare including 16% who are very satisfied. The reverse is true however when it comes to the affordability of healthcare. In the end, Gallup concludes the following, "this dichotomy seems to support the hypothesis that private healthcare encourages high-quality standards, but may be a barrier to access and affordability." I concur with that statement. However, that does not mean there are not ways to decrease costs and preserve high-quality without a government takeover.

Spain has also been Obama's latest example of how well socialized healthcare works. But how well is Spain's healthcare working? Spain's government run healthcare is called, "la sanidad pública." In a report entitled, the decline of Spain's health care system, the journalist Francisco Rubiales of Spain writes:

The great paradox is that while the Spanish health system suffers from a shortage of health care providers, Spanish doctors and health specialists emigrate to work in the healthcare systems of Great Britain, Portugal, France and many others.

Perhaps the greatest example of the decline in the Spanish health care system can be seen in Andalucía where the PSOE (the Socialist party currently in power) has always used the public healthcare system as the standard of its government and symbol of the goodness of socialism. For decades, Andalucía has received the greatest and most generous investments in medicine… the quality of that magnificent Sanidad Pública is falling apart.

The media has not reported that hospitals lack resources or urgent medicines or that entire hospital wings are being closed, or that doctors are being pressured to send home the sick and that they don't prescribe too much medicine, or that doctors with valuable experience are leaving the health care system, establishing themselves in private hospitals or emigrating to foreign countries where they are able to obtain better salaries and above all better consideration and respect….

I have several friends in Spain, and I asked a few of them what they thought of their countries health care system. I wrote to an entrepreneur in Spain, and she sent the following response as she was trekking through Rome.

Our public health system does not work well. There are too many people, and the waiting lists for operations are enormous. Everyone even if they do not pay into it has a right to it including immigrants who bring relatives to be operated on and that has the effect of making everything even worse. (my comment - Spain has a huge immigration problem like France with illegal Islamic citizens coming over from Northern Africa)

 
 

It does however give you peace knowing that if you do not have anything a house or money you can still get doctors.

 
 

The people who have means, here, have private insurance and the private insurance carriers treat you differently. In those situations, there are no waiting lines, and the hospitals are like hotels with rooms.

 
 

One day Antonio and I went to the beach, I went to the doctor and the waiting line went around the other street. There were not enough doctors for everyone. I decided I wasn't sick enough to put up with this line and I left.

 
 

The following year Antonio had to go to the doctor, but he had private insurance his father paid for, and what a difference. The waiting room was air conditioned with very comfortable sofas, and in five minutes the doctor was seeing him.

 
 

That year we saw the difference between the two systems.

 
 

Now, fortunately I have private insurance.

 
 

With this economic crisis (my comment - Spain's unemployment is about 20%) We have noticed that since people do not have any money, the system is even worse. In a few years there will be a lack of medical personnel and a lack of medical technicians. With what is approaching, I really don't know what is going to happen. It sounds like a good idea to for the state to cover medicine for the people - at least you wouldn't die in a clean bed and then they could waste more on other things.

 
 

In Europe, private insurance is available, but only a small percentage can afford it. The pool of insured people is smaller making the insurance very expensive. Europeans will opt for private insurance if they can afford it, because it is a much better system.

 

In another email from a Spanish journalist, she writes in part:

 

We all have a family doctor assigned, so if I feel ill I just make a call to the health center to be checked or go to ER directly. The doctor makes the first checkup and then sends you to the specialist if necessary. Again, you have to wait days or months for the next visit, depending on the specialist you need. Of course, in the waiting rooms there are plenty of old people and immigrants. Some people just go to the family doctor to ask for prescriptions, because there the medicines cost much less even if you ask for a simple Ibuprofen prescription, so there are old people that waste 2 hours waiting to get their prescriptions filled. In my opinion, that is elder abuse. Big cities like Madrid or Barcelona health centers and hospitals are fuc**ing busy (sorry for the expression, but it´s quite worrying). And, I'm afraid, hospitals may have real problems when having to value who's first in the list of operations.

 
 

Are we happy with this system? Personally, I am, maybe because I don´t need to go to the doctor very often, but I don´t have to pay for it (the system is deficient, the taxes should be higher to cover costs), I'm certain I´ll be attended as soon as possible when I´m ill and we have competent doctors.

 
 

Each year Forbes magazine publishes its tax misery index. This is a compilation of all the taxes in a country to determine which country has the highest tax rate. The higher the tax rate, the more prohibitive one's life becomes as to his or her leisure activities. As taxes increase, the taxpayer becomes more of a slave to the state. France has topped the list for years because of all its entitlement programs. The more a country becomes a welfare state, the higher its tax misery index will go. Will the United States succeed in topping France for the number one spot? Only time will tell.

 

What do we know will happen for sure in an Obamacare world that we have learned from other countries with nationalized health care?

 

1. There will be rationing that will affect the most vulnerable of society.
   
2. The deficit will go up enormously not down as Obama claims.
   
3. The cost of Obamacare will have been severely underestimated. Just today he announced that the ten year deficit is going from 7 trillion to 9 trillion. Trying to figure out where the deficit will be is like the global warming alarmists trying to figure out where the weather will be in a century from now.
   
4. There will be long waits.
   
5. Emergency rooms will be more crowded than they already are.
   
6. We will become a magnet for illegal aliens since they will have access to our health care system.
   
7. There will be corruption, fraud and waste as there is in any government system.
   
8. Taxes will go through the roof (not just those who earn more than $250,000).
   

 

Barack Obama is trying to fundamentally change the United States. There is a reason the United States has been number one all these years. It is because the United States was founded on individual liberty, not on the nanny state. The liberal believes in a utopian world where everyone is equal and everyone is taken care of from cradle to grave. Before we used to talk about billions of dollars, now we talk about trillions of dollars. Before the dot-com crash, everyone said we have reached a new paradigm and valuations no longer mattered. In the world of stocks, valuations always matter. Before the housing crisis, houses kept going up in value, and we heard the mantra, "Real estate never falls in value." What goes up must always come down. Now we here the economist Barack Obama imply that printing trillions of dollars with nothing to back it up is no big deal, because he will reduce the deficit by the end of his term and somehow healthcare will not increase government deficit. Argentina gave a similar argument before the collapse of its peso If Obama succeeds in passing this healthcare reform, he will bankrupt this nation. If he succeeds in his cap and trade scheme, he will also fundamentally change this nation and not for the better. Both of these changes will be irreversible. Why are we not doing a test case? Why is Obama against tort reform? My classmate's political view is, "Whatever causes the greatest good for the greatest number" is a nice thought, but Obamacare will cause the greatest harm to the greatest number. Obamacare must be stopped before it is too late!!!!!!