subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Nov 21 2009 

Published: August 19, 2009 08:20 pm    print this story   email this story  

Readers' Forum: Aug. 20, 2009

Bigger government means less liberty


Understanding the opposition to the Health Care Bill (H.R. 3200) is actually rather easy and can be achieved using bipartisan support.

In a 1974 address to Congress, Republican President Gerald Ford stated: “Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have … The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.”

Then on Aug. 11, at the New Hampshire Town Meeting, Democrat President Barack Obama said, “If you think about it, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems.”

The Federal Government, excluding the Postal Service, is already the largest employer in the United States, followed by the United States Military, Walmart, and the Postal Service in that order. Some 760,000 people work for the Postal Service. Wikipedia notes that the U.S. Postal Service has operating revenue of $74.932 billion, with its operating income and net income both at a $2.806 billion loss. That is $2.806 billion in the red. UPS and FedEx both showed profits for the first two quarters of 2009.

Right now, Medicare serves about 43 million Americans and Medicaid serves about 46 million, with 6.5 million eligible for both. Some 67,000 people work for the Department of Health and Human Services, which administer both these programs and Social Security. Medicare has an estimated unfunded liability of $32.4 trillion.

Thus, if we look at the success of the U.S. Government to provide medical care to about 30 percent of the population, we see an overall financial failure.

The programs under the care of the HHS hemorrhage money at an alarming rate.

These programs, however well meaning and well intended, are spiraling out of control.

Two weeks ago, a supporter for HR 3200 knocked on my door asking me to sign a petition to “spread the services and benefits of Medicare to the rest of the population.” I said no.

Why would I, or anyone else, support a program that means to extend one program serving 30 percent of the population at a staggering loss to the remaining 70 percent of the population?

Alternatively, to follow President Obama’s line of reasoning, why would we take away services from more efficient private providers (UPS and FedEx) and give it to the less effective government version (USPS)?

HR 3200 has a stated purpose, “To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.” That phrase, “reduce the growth” is really the sticking point here. The Federal Government has yet to demonstrate that it can operate any program in such a fashion as to reduce the cost of that program.

It cannot; if it tries, the result can only be a huge increase in the size of government. Imagine HHS the size of USPS or more, unless we are to believe that 67,000 people who cannot efficiently provide services to 89 million can become efficient and cost effective by giving them more work.

This brings us back to President Ford who suggested that any government that provides all things to all people can only do so by taking away that one thing we in America treasure above all else, our Liberty.

That is why so many people are protesting.

— Robert Flott

Terre Haute

print this story   email this story  



Terre Haute Progress Retail health medical manufacturing education

Terre Haute



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Terre Haute

Terre Haute News Morning Headlines

Terre Haute ClickLocal

Terre Haute Tribune-Star Newspaper Dial-A-Pro

Terre Haute Tribune-Star Newspaper Live in the Clubs

Terre Haute News on Twitter

Today's Featured Jobs

CMA's & LPN's
AP&S Clinic Is Now Hiring
For 90 years, the physicians and staff of AP&S Clinic, LLC have been
providing perso
...>MORE

Caregivers
Hiring for Caregivers
Full & Part Time
Terre Haute, Brazil,
Rockville, Clinton &
Cayuga. area
...>MORE

See all ads

Today's Featured Autos

98 S10
98 S10 4cyl, auto,
custom paint $2000,
(812)235-7718
...>MORE

93 Ford F150
93 Ford F150 Short
Bed, 302 V8, 106k.
mi. $2500 obo
(812)249-9142

...>MORE

See all ads

Today's Featured Homes

East
. Nice Lrg. 2bdrm
2ba apt. w/d hkup
$750mo. utils incl.,
Newly Remodeled
Eff. $425. 229-1425
...>MORE

2211 Liberty
2 or 3 Bdrms., C/A,
hkups, $475 + util.
2211 Liberty. Call
Mark 234-1680

...>MORE

See all ads

Today's Cool Stuff

Bdrm suites & lots more
ethan allen Oak
bdrm suite: Queen
Pencil post bed, 2
night stands, lingerie
chest, triple dresse
...>MORE

TANNING BED
sunquest Tan-
ning Bed, 24 bulbs,
1-owner, $350.
(812)235-1537
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index