Health Insurance and Freedom

I cannot claim originality on this because I heard most of this on the Glen Beck show last night but it really got me thinking. I'm going to ask, beg, and plead that you not simply right this off if you are not a fan of Beck. There's some real common sense to this with regard to the dangers of all of the government programs that are intended to serve and to help society. I'd like to elaborate a bit.

As I'm sure you've already read, I truly believe that the government (any government) does not deal in prosperity, they deal in disparity (mediocrity at best). The government does not make you prosper nor does it protect you into prosperity. Only your hard work and ingenuity combined with the freedom of a free market democracy can enable an extremely poor man to become wealthy. The government has no "get wealthy" programs unless you are a politician or lobbyist. We are all given freedom and the majority of Americans believe that this is given to us by God. A government limits our freedom which in many cases is good. We should not have the freedom to kill another human. We should likewise not have the freedom to steal from another, and the list goes on. These are good reasons for limited government controls. Government and laws enable us to live in a society that is safe and conducive to productive, free, and happy lives.

That's my take, now on to what Beck was saying that I completely agree with.

Beck was illustrating how health insurance is (even if unintentionally) a vehicle to take away more freedoms. We've already seen this with mandated auto insurance. After the mandatory auto insurance laws went into place to protect us from ourselves and others, we started to see things that affect insurance rates. One example is the helmet law. The argument is that when a motorcyclist is killed or severely injured, there tends to be big payouts in medical expenses, lawsuits, etc. All of those costs negatively affect the collective group of payers by driving up premiums and therefore become detrimental to the whole of society. Because of the affect on the whole the bad decision to go without a helmet no longer represents an individual decision that only affects the individual. Now society sais collectively that it is within our rights to take away a motorcyclists personal freedom to choose to wear a helmet; or not to. Once a person's decisions begin to negatively affect the whole of society, the whole of society feels that it is their collective right to take away that freedom.

Government mandated health care. What do you do that does "not" affect your health? Can you really think of anything? Every single aspect of your life in one way or another affects your health. From drinking a beer, to smoking, to eating a hamburger, to your car's emissions, to everything including being depressed or too stressed. We've already seen the attack on smoking. Clearly smoking is horrible for your health but it did not become scrutinized for potential bans and or punitive taxation until it was determined to negatively impact the whole of society. First by the second hand smoke argument which got it kicked out of bars, businesses, and even from city parks. Then it was the financial impact upon socialized medicine. After smoking the attack moved to fast foods and super sized menu items. Don't worry, they won't ban super sized McDonalds, or Beer, or probably even smoking but they'll continue to tax it because these things have become socially unpopular. Some may say this is good because we're too fat, too drunk, and coughing and maybe they're not wrong. I say that these are all personal decisions. Right now this list is the list that is socially unacceptable. What list is next? The mandated programs empower us to feel as if it is our right and duty to force healthy living upon our fellow "free" man. Will the government mandate exercise programs for fat people or mandatory gastric bypass surgeries?

I don't disagree for a minute that we should all live a more healthy lifestyle but this is my life, these are my choices, and I do not want you or the government to force this way of living on me. If that means that I have to pay for my own health care then so be it.

God gave man free will. God did this with Adam and Eve, they made some bad decisions. I'm sure that you've made some bad decisions and anyone who knows me knows that I certainly have.

Therefore, we must think about how our decisions affect individual freedom. I may not agree with how you live but I must protect your right to live that way. We must do this for two major reasons. First because if we do not take our fellow man into consideration, the government will. When the government does this it is always in the form of a new law (reduction in free will) or a new tax (punishment for exercising free will). Secondly, if you do not stand for your neighbor's freedom there will be no one left to stand with you for yours.

Remember, there is a good reason and purpose for governance. There is also a very fine line with a very slippery slope for when the government believes it their right and duty to control nearly every aspect of your life.