Wednesday, October 14, 2009

This is How Liberty Dies

On Tuesday of this week the Senate Finance Committee approved a new health care reform bill. There is still some work to be done before the Senate will actually vote on this bill but I wanted to share some of my thoughts before that happens.

Before I talk about the health care bill, I want to share something that Benjamin Disraeli said over 100 years ago. He talked about the cycle of the body politic. This is a cycle that all civilizations inevitably follow.

Everything starts in bondage
Bondage leads to spiritual truth
Spiritual truth leads to great courage
Courage leads to liberty
Liberty leads to abundance
Abundance leads to selfishness
Selfishness leads to complacency
Complacency leads to apathy
Apathy leads to dependence
Dependence leads to bondage

Bondage - The majority of earth's history is about people in bondage. The founding fathers of the United States fled England because they were fleeing bondage.

Spiritual Truth - D&C 101:80 says that the constitution was created by inspired men who were raised up for that purpose. They had great spiritual truth.

Great Courage - Samuel Adams, one of our founding fathers was summoned by Colonel Fenton, in an attempt to intimidate him enough to get him to back down from rallying the minds of the people. Colonel Fenton essentially said that Adams' life could be very comfortable if he were to back down, but it would be very uncomfortable if he didn't. He concluded by saying, "by changing your political course, you will not only receive great personal advantages, but you will make your peace with the King."

Samuel Adams, at the risk of being hanged, had a response that was straight and to the point, "Then you may tell Governor Gage that I trust I have long since made my peace with the King of Kings. No personal consideration shall induce me to abandon the righteous cause of my country. And, tell Governor Gage it is the advice of Samuel Adams to him, no longer to insult the feelings of an exasperated people." He and the other signers of the Declaration of Independence were certainly men of Great Courage

Liberty - We became the freest country in the world. Our Constitution was established "for the protection of all flesh." (D&C 101:77) Today, almost every nation in the world has adopted a written constitution, and the United States Constitution profoundly influenced all of them.

Abundance - We live in a state of incredible abundance. Even those who live in poverty today would look with disdain at the lifestyles of some of the more wealthy who lived in previous centuries.

Selfishness - Unfortunately, our country has become very selfish. Almost 50% of marriages end in divorce. Certainly, there are legitimate situations where a divorce is needed but the majority of those divorces are stemmed from selfishness from 1 or both parties.

Complacency - This is where we begin to condemn the bad in the world from afar. We start to say, "the government should do something about that." We forget that the role of government is not to solve all our problems, we should be solving our own problems.

Apathy - This is where we cease to care enough to do anything at all about our own well being. We think the government will care for us.

Dependence - Today 3 out of every 10 Americans lives on some kind of government handout. We are already at 30% dependency.

Dependency descends to Bondage. - This is where I get into why I share all of that with you. You see, this health care bill would require every American to purchase health insurance. That may not seem like a super big deal, but let's go back to the Constitution for a minute.

The very same document that was given to us by inspired men grants certain rights to congress. Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 states: "[The Congress shall have power] To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;" So the constitution gives government the power to regulate commerce between the states.

Health Care is a multi-state industry so it's fair enough to say they have the right to regulate commerce when it relates to health care. But wait a second. Requiring every American to buy health care goes a little bit beyond "regulating" don't you think? If congress had the right to tell us what to buy, why did we need a stimulus package? Why didn't they just pass a law requiring everyone to buy American cars or to put our money in certain banks, or to buy certain newspapers? I don't think that wording in the constitution gives any justification for that level of government control. You can see the slippery slope that this bill puts us on. It reminds me of the quote from Star Wars episode 3 where Amidala says, "This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause." Our nation is slipping from dependency to bondage. Contact your representatives to assure this doesn't happen.

14 comments:

  1. Thank you for expressing your thoughts. I also believe we all should be aware of the things that will impact our lives. Or country should be run by the people for the people, not just some of the people. There will always be differing sides to all issues, but the important thing is we all should be informed and active in our political system.

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  2. Here, Here! It's good to hear an educated opinion about this! I definitely need to learn more about the bill.

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  3. You are so smart! I enjoyed your post, even if you thought it was boring. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Well said. This needs to appear on an editorial page. Definitely would get people thinking.

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  5. I feel really good about this post. I am glad that somebody is standing up for truth and righteousness.

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  6. I just came upon an interesting quote from Ronald Reagan that I thought fit with the subject of this post. If I had found it before writing this post I probably would have included it.

    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
    - Ronald Reagan

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  7. Personally; although your blog has some general points it is your opinion. So I will share with you my opinion....

    why did this happen in the first place?
    Why are we as a country so unwilling to change with the times?
    Why do we think of ourselves before our children s' children?

    Or why do you think this bill is bad? personally?

    You have hidden behind remarks people have made in history, during a different time. Did you think our founding fathers realized where the US would go in 200 years?

    Your blog is about people who have said things, and yet I don't see anything about what you think about it. (which is a cowardly move people make.)

    Have you forgotten that in order for people to have freedom we must fight for it? we must be open minded...making people pay for a newspaper, making them buy American cars? are you kidding me? Freedom....the very thing your trying to defend is lost when you are FORCED or its BANNED to do something?

    Health care is needed for everyone. it should be available to EVERYONE. Without this reform you should just say that the new policy for everyone is to "not get sick."

    Everyone must be granted equal opportunity to receive help. And that is how systems work. You need everything in a system to work, sure maybe you don't want it, but those people are also paying to help you, and your family...think about those people who can't afford it? people don't get to choose their families so how is it fair that a little girl can't afford surgery because of a family she didn't choose to be born into? so why don't you keep your narrow minded, right-sided, stupid religious beliefs (which this ultimately comes down too) and actually write a blog that has your actual opinion in it, not words to hide behind.

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  8. I don't like bondage.

    P.S. It's safe for you to assume that if I don't comment within a couple days of you posting, I didn't see that you posted. So you have permission to inform me.

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  9. To Saleinaenachiya,
    Part 1
    First, thank you for sharing your opinion. It excites me to know that a person can come to my blog and see both sides of the story.

    I'd like to respond to your remarks, individually. I have bolded all quotes from you so as to differentiate your questions and my answers. To all other readers, I apologize for this lengthy comment but I wanted to respond to all of it.

    Your questions:
    Why did this happen in the first place?
    I assume that question means, "Why are they trying to pass a health care bill in the first place?" So I will answer that question. You and I both agree that there is need for health care reform. I personally think that the health insurance industry is one large collusion where they are slowly increasing their profit margins. I think there needs to be more transparency there. We could talk for a long time about other options, but my blog was already long enough.

    Why are we as a country so unwilling to change with the times?
    Personally, I think our country is very willing to change. There have been good changes since our founding. For example, slavery was abolished and women are now allowed to vote. Those are huge changes that are good. However, there have been many changes which I think are bad. I personally believe the brave men who founded our country would be ready to call for another revolution because our government has grown to massive proportions and our liberties have shrunk.

    Why do we think of ourselves before our children s' children?
    I don't know about you, but I don't want to be sitting with a grandchild and have him ask me the question, "Grandpa, where were you when America stopped being a free country? Why didn't you stop the socialists? Didn't anyone see it coming?" I am most certainly thinking of my children's children when I voice my opinion about Liberty.

    Or why do you think this bill is bad? personally?
    My personal opinion is that forcing people to buy any product is not a power given to Congress by the Constitution and that frankly scares me.

    You said I was a coward for hiding behind other people's words. Yes, I used quotes from other people and there's a reason for that. I attended a seminar once where the speaker was speaking about some political subjects. In his introduction the speaker said, "I invite you to disagree with me. But, I encourage you to read enough books that you understand why." That experience changed my life, I realized that we are all born with opinion, but it's important to seek truth by studying the lives and minds of those smarter than us.

    I will openly admit that those who I quoted in this post, (Benjamin Disraeli, a former prime minister of Great Britain; Samuel Adams, founding father of this country; The framers of The United States Constitution) are all people smarter than me. So yes, I chose to use their words to illustrate my point. But, understand, I am not hiding behind their words. The opinions expressed in this blog are most definitely my own. I am constantly reading and studying in order to justify my opinions and form new ones.

    You say that this ultimately comes down to my religious beliefs. I have stated that I read many books to arrive at my opinions, and you are correct that among those books are books that I believe to be scripture. Ultimately, however, this particular opinion is rooted much more strongly in the Constitution than in scripture or religious affiliation.

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  10. To Saleinaenachiya,
    Part 2
    Have you forgotten that in order for people to have freedom we must fight for it?
    Absolutely! I hope it doesn't come to that though. For now, I will honor the democratic process and contact my representative, who happens to be Jason Chaffetz. He and I see eye to eye on this issue, so he will adequately represent me.


    making people pay for a newspaper, making them buy American cars? are you kidding me?
    No, I'm not kidding, they already used your money and gave it to those companies, but you didn't get a product in return. The idea of them forcing you to buy those products seems ludicrous doesn't it? Why is it any different for them to force you to buy health care?


    Freedom....the very thing your trying to defend is lost when you are FORCED or its BANNED to do something?
    Well, yes. Any time our ability to act of ourselves is taken away, that is freedom being taken away.

    how is it fair that a little girl can't afford surgery because of a family she didn't choose to be born into?
    That's not fair. I'll admit that. But first let me talk about the role of government. And then I'll talk about a solution to your proposed problem.

    What is the role of government? Let's simplify the idea of government. Let's imagine a small town where people live. They discover that occasionally people from outside their town come in and take their things away from them. They hire a sheriff to protect them and their property. Then one day a little girl in the town gets very sick. She needs surgery but she can't afford it. The people of the town decide it's unjust that this girl can't afford it. They tell the sheriff that he should go to the richest man in town and force him to pay for this little girl's surgery. They conclude that he was much too rich anyway and it wasn't fair.

    It sounds horrible that a sheriff would rob a member of the town. Yet, our government that we have hired to protect us is not any different from the sheriff of that town. But, somehow it becomes okay to tell the rich people that they should give more money to support those in need and make it more fair.

    I'm not saying the little girl shouldn't be helped. I'm saying it's not my right or anyone else's to demand that those who have more give to those who are in need.

    So what is my solution? I believe that people are inherently good, and if they have the opportunity they will give to private organizations. If we were to cut taxes and eliminate the inefficient charity programs of the government, private charities would be much more prevalent and would have more funds. I personally give to my church as well as other charitable organizations because I do believe that people should be helped. I just don't believe that is the role of government.

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  11. To Saleinaenachiya,
    Part 3
    Finally, I'll just say what was said to me years ago. I invite you to disagree with me. But please read enough books that you understand why you believe what you believe. As Thomas Jefferson said, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be"

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  12. Ooooh, great post. Can I just say something about socialized medicine?

    I love it. I live in Canada and my babies have cost me $112 a month. My weird moles have cost me $112 a month. My swine flu questions have cost our family of four $112 a month. You get the idea.

    Socialized medicine is great for the small stuff. Not so great for the big things, even if you live in a big city. See, because we choose to live in a small town, 12 hrs to Vancouver, we get to pay for own way to receive medical help for the big stuff. Specialized doctors are flown in every once in awhile to treat some of the big stuff. Not to mention the months/years of waiting on a list wondering if you'll die before being cured. If you have money $$ you can help yourself to the front of the big stuff line. Thus, canceling out the reason for Socialized medicine in the first place.

    There are a few problems with making people share everyone's health problems. Soon, like England, certain lifestyles will be illegal because socialized health won't cover it.

    Ex: ladders are no longer allowed on work sites because too many get hurt and cost the system money.

    A little ridiculous, isn't it?

    Living in Utah for 25 years, I never had health coverage. Too expensive for what it would buy. I just gambled that nothing serious would happen to me.

    Both systems have pros and cons, but I will say that I'm glad to be living in Canada and using their system.

    Damned either way.

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  13. I appreciated your comments as well as all others who posted. I do have fears of things becoming so government run and people becoming so dependent on the government for everything. Obama seems to think he has an endless pocket that he keeps giving out of. It's like putting your finger in the hole of a dike and pretending that will be enough to hold the dam, but eventually it will all burst. I am glad we have people in history to learn from. History is the best educator. Keep studying the lives of those great men and women who lived through times that we can only be proud of their accomplishments.

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