The current health care debate raging here in the United States has turned into a rather ugly monster. And while I agree in principle with many of those who oppose "Obamacare" I can't say I necessarily agree with their methods or the delivery of their message.
So, to put it in the simplest terms possible without all of the overblown rhetoric of "death panels" and the other scare terms that many of the other opponents of Obamacare are bandying about I submit to you the following argument against Obama's health care plan in the simplest terms I can possibly muster:
Trust and respect should never given freely. They must be earned. As of yet our government has done little or nothing to earn my respect or trust. And when it comes to an issue as important as health care-- trust MUST be present before I would even begin to consider any government health care plan.
Trust is also a two way street. Recently on whitehouse.gov we, the American people, were asked to report "fishy" behaviour to them. This amounts to spying on and squealing on each other. Not only is this a sign that our government doesn't trust us, they are doing their damnedest to ensure that we no longer trust one another... Divide and conquer if you will.
If our government, clearly doesn't trust us-- how can they expect us to trust them... especially on something as important as health care?
There's the old adage, "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." It's been shown in recent years that our government-- in particular our legislative branch (Congress) is especially corrupt and that corruption knows no party lines-- each party is just as bad as the other. And now members of Congress are asking us to trust them to come up with a health care plan... a plan that would give them even more power and not only that access to the health care industry.
The sad thing is there is a definite need for health care reform, that is something most of us Americans can agree on. It's the solution where we find ourselves often at odds with one another. Due to each side marginalizing the opposition with over the top hyperbole we're being driven even further apart on this issue, rather than working together for health care reform that can and will actually work. I honestly believe that the solution to this problem needs to come from US-- the people... not THEM-- the government. This is too big and too important an issue for us to leave in control of Congress-- a Congress that shows time and time again an air of superiority-- that they know better what's best for us, than we know ourselves what is best for us.
In order to better flesh out my own arguments and thoughts I often listen to talk radio from BOTH ends of the political spectrum... On my evening commutes I often find myself switching between the conservative Michael Medved and the liberal Thom Hartmann.
The other day on Thom Hartmann he had a caller who was admonishing Obama's call to African-American fathers to take more responsibility. The caller argued that (paraphrased) "We're all adults and should be treated as such. Thus Obama's comments were out of line as they insinuated we aren't adults."
I thought to myself as I was listening-- therein lies one of the biggest philosophical differences between liberals and conservatives in this country...
Conservatives believe that things like respect and trust must be earned.
Liberals believe that trust and respect are a given. We are all entitled to these things.
I think that also speaks to how/why liberals and conservatives view certain rights differently. I'd argue that most conservatives believe that most rights come with responsibilities... Rights aren't freely given, they're earned by acting responsibly. The Constitution grants us these rights with the implicit understanding that we will exercise our rights responsibly.
Liberals on the other hand look at rights as entitlements-- we're given them freely. Thus there are certain rights we shouldn't have as we aren't responsible or smart enough to exercise those rights properly-- we need Big Brother Government to tell us how to exercise those rights responsibly.
Friday, August 21, 2009
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5 comments:
I don't understand this business of labeling "the government" as though it were some entity apart. It's not. It's Americans working to uphold the structure set forth in the Constitution. Real actual people. I like your take on the Conservative/Liberal points of view. Mine's a little different but roughly says the same thing. Conservatives have no heart and Liberals do.
I'm so glad that we can pretty much agree on politics as well as music :)
I firmly believe that respect and trust must be earned, and that we must be responsible for our own actions.
As Ted Nugent puts it, give people a hand UP. Not a hand out.
Tornwordo: A common misconception with the creation of the United States was that it was created with the idea that we're all equal. The truth is that we aren't all equal. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence are about granting equality of opportunity. What we do with the opportunities that we have equal access to is OUR responsibility-- not our government's mandate.
I'd argue that Conservatives think with their heads, liberals think with their hearts.
Classicrockforthesoul: Ahhh, a fellow fan of "Uncle Ted." I dig Ted Nugent largely because he doesn't merely talk the talk, he also walks the walk. He is largely self-sufficient-- growing his own plants, raising and hunting his own animals for meat.
Yes, Ted Nugent is awesome! I know he's kind of extreme, but everything he says is hilarious/true.
Have you read his new-ish book called Ted, White and Blue? It's great. If you love Uncle Ted's politics, you're going to love that book.
I haven't read his new book yet. I'll have to add it to my list. Now I'm in the mood to listen to Ted's Spirit of the Wild album.
It's funny some conservatives refer to Ted Nugent as "Uncle Ted."
And some liberals refer to Ted Kennedy as "Uncle Ted."
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