Sorry, I know it’s been awhile. I’ve been amazingly busy with work and such. And I just got back from vacation on Wednesday.
Anyways, something interesting happened yesterday. I was going into work from the rear entrance, and somebody who was sitting his car called me over and asked if Jason was working. I said that I would check. Jason was working, so I sent him out to the parking lot.
I asked Jason what that guy had wanted and he said that it was his friend and that he had broken his toe. The friend wanted to know if he could get a ride to the hospital. I asked Jason why his friend had driven up to come find him instead of driving himself to the hospital. He said the guy didn’t have enough gas and that he was always looking for an excuse for someone to drive him around. The friend doesn’t have a job and he frequently asks Jason for gas money.
I said, “Sounds like he’s a good guy to have around,” and Jason just mumbled something like “Yeah, I know.” Jason’s not the hardest worker around, but he doesn’t try to bum gas money off his friends. He works for his own money. Jason’s friend doesn’t understand that in order to consume, he needs to produce. This is what happens when people are placed in an environment where they can get by without doing anything. They learn to “borrow” money and live off other people’s wealth.
Jason’s friend should remind you of what’s going on in politics every day. Government officials believe that they need to redistribute wealth from people who earn their own money to people who either cannot or will not support themselves; to people like Jason’s friend. One of the arguments that I keep hearing is that the rich can afford to be taxed more. Therefore, they should be taxed more. Or in the (paraphrased) words of Joe Biden, it is their patriotic duty to sacrifice their earnings to the greater good.
I can’t find any logic in this idea. Just because you think someone can afford to part with a few dollars doesn’t mean that it is right or moral for you to take money from them. They earned it and they should spend it however they wish. Now, hopefully they will choose to help a few people out with that money. However, they should not be judged if they want to keep all the money for themselves. It is within their rights to do so.
In order to raise more money for Obama’s extensive health-care system, Congress is planning on passing a bill that will fine Americans for not buying affordable medical coverage. Individuals that don’t do what the government wishes will get a bill for over one thousand dollars. Apparently, this idea is based on something that Massachusetts has already been doing. It doesn’t make sense to me. People should not be fined for refusing to get health insurance.
Congress says that certain people will be exempt if they are too poor to get coverage, so anybody who has money will be required to get medical coverage or pay the fines. Once again, the government thinks it’s being Robin Hood. But Robin Hood didn’t steal money from those that had worked for it; he stole from those that had cheated and stolen money themselves. When government takes from the rich and gives to the poor, they are righting wrongs that aren’t wrong at all. Everyone deserves their own money. Why should the poor take the money that the rich earned?
Of course Obama is happy about this bill; he says it “reflects many of the principles I’ve laid out, such as reforms that will prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and the concept of insurance exchanges where individuals can find affordable coverage if they lose their jobs, move or get sick.”
If insurance companies are forced to cover people that have pre-existing conditions, they are going to lose money. They aren’t just denying sick people coverage because they don’t like them; they are trying to stay in business. It’s unfortunate that people with pre-existing conditions have a tough time getting insurance, but it is not the government’s responsibility to step in. Individuals should have the choice to help their fellow man or not. I would certainly help out a friend of mine if he or she had a life-threatening condition, and I trust that this is the case for many other people. However, man is not his brother’s keeper; he has no obligation to help people he hasn’t even met.
This is a totalitarian action; big government is stepping into our lives. Individuals should decide if they want coverage or not. It is not the government’s place to come in and tell Americans how to live their lives. Government is becoming more successful every day in convincing Americans that their money is actually our money.
I see the contradiction. I hope you do. It is your money. It is your life.
