To Supporters of Health Care Bill: Don’t Drag Us Into Your Disaster

At this writing a substantial minority of Americans support the Democrats’ existing health-care bills. Most of us agree that the American healthcare system needs change but we have a wide variety of ideas about the specifics of the changes that are needed.

Some make the case that only a single payer system can reduce transaction costs and therefore substantially reduce overall costs.  At the other end of the spectrum, libertarians such as Mary Ruwart argue that only the free market can control costs, improve quality and provide consumers the choices that truly meet their needs.

This is a complicated, expensive, emotionally charged decision that penetrates to the core of a of every American’s health, well-being, prosperity and self ownership.

Promises made by politicians lie shattered on the floor at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue – as they always do.  Where are all the best suggestions from the opposition (Republican and otherwise) that we were promised would be included?  Where is the FINAL version of the bill that was to be posted in public for us all to read?  The White House says health insurance prices will go down while the Congressional Budget Office says they’ll go up. Why are union members treated better than non-union workers? The Democrats say the bill will reduce the deficit.  Where is the evidence that any federal entitlement ever did anything but balloon the deficit.  Why is so much of the cost hidden in the later years where the CBO doesn’t count it?  Why does a health care bill contain a provision to require buisnesses to report every transaction over $600 to the IRS?  Why does a health care bill dramtically increase IRS power?

It’s said that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are extremely popular programs.  There’s no end of touching anecdotes about starving seniors and cancer victims who’ve benefited from these entitlements.  No one with a heart is immune to these stories.  What these stories don’t tell you is that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid , in addition to our interventionist foreign policy, are the programs that are bankrupting America. This is no slogan.  Anyone who’s done the math, such as National Center for Policy Analysis knows it.  Obama knows it.  He said as much, without mentioning the names of the programs in this interview with Charle Gibson .

Figure I: General Revenue Transfers to Social Security and Medicare

In your opinion America needs the Democrats health care bill.  In my opinion, and in the opinion of the majority of Americans, you’re dead wrong.

There’s no agreement on what to do.  There’s no agreement on the likely results of this bill. There’s no agreement on whether we should surrender even more of our humanity to bureaucrats in Washington. 

But you , the minority, want to force your poorly thought out plan on everyone.

The only thing for sure is that if this bill passes our rulers will enforce it with guns paid for by tax dollars extracted from us by force.

I have no desire to force my free-market opinions on you and others who believe in the Democrats Health Care Bill.  You’re certainly welcome to whatever health care system you and other consenting adults agree on.  Just leave me and the majority of Americans who agree with me out of it.  You can continue on your path to fiscal ruin.  You can continue on the path to mindless collectivism.  But pay your own way and don’t drag the rest of us into the abyss with you.

Some of us are going to fight back.

Manhattan Libertarian Party