Excellent Email this AM:~~~ There is no doubt that this piece of legislation is the most concentrated
effort ever made by the Government of the United States, to centralize so
much personal information about its citizenry into one place.
While such centralization of data can be an advantage to all, it
can also be detrimental in that it, by its very existence, lessens, or at
least weakens, one of the basic principles of a democratic republic, and
that is the "RIGHT" to privacy.
One of the arguments never put forward by the "public" media is
a comparison involving the management capacity and efficiency of a
bureaucratically heavy government, relative to healthcare, and a model of
that capacity and efficiency, which can be seen clearly and measurably on
any American Indian Reservation within our boundaries. There, healthcare is
a federally run, single payer system, and it is, and has been for nearly
three decades, in chaos. A simple 'outcome" study will show that suicides
due to depression, poor health, alcoholism in 77% of the cases under 25
years of age (55% higher than in secular America for the same age bracket)
is the most glaring "outcome" of the Federally-run program. The Government
is only managing 1/30th or less of our population and cannot affect a
measurably positive improvement in any of the critical life quality areas.
Maybe cooler heads, those with motives free of control, power,
self-image or re-election, will ultimately prevail to the extent that they
will begin promoting manageable changes to a system of medical delivery
that, while lacking, is still the most efficient on the globe in the
"diagnosis-to-treatment" measurement.
Often, when one burns down the barn in order to get rid of the rats, he
discovers that many of the rats simply relocated rather than stay in the
barn to die. Our secular quality of care is superior to most of the world.
In Germany, breast cancer mortality is 55% higher than in the United States.
Prostate cancer mortality in England is 604% higher and 475% higher in
Norway than in the U.S. Canadian patients wait twice as long for hip
surgery or cancer treatment as their counterparts in America. Over 70% of
citizens polled in Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and England
believe their systems need fundamental change. (Source: National Center for
Policy Analysis)
The CBO estimates that new technology accounts for about one-half of the
increases in health care experienced over the past three decades. For the
most part, this is a good thing. Adjusted for inflation, health care
spending per person is six times what it was forty years ago. However, it
is still a good thing unless you really believe you would be better off with
60's style medicine.
Most citizens of America do not understand the workings of the Social
Security System. First, one must understand that it was set up in 1934 and
funded by a Social Security Trust Fund. It was 29 pages (actually one-half
pages, as it was written on the right side only) of legislation put forth in
a very simple and understandable fashion. In fact, it worked so well, and
grew so fast that Federal politicians soon figured out that they could raise
the percentage collected one year, and then raise the amount that percentage
is assessed against the next year. They could then transfer the excesses
not needed to pay retirees, to the General Fund and do all sorts of things
with the money, like build federal highways under the guise of National
Defense. Additionally, since there always seemed to be an excess, they
simply put I.O.U's in the Trust Fund thinking they could catch up at
anytime.
From the 60's through 2007, in excess of $4 trillion $300 billion was
pirated from the Social Security Trust Fund with no repayment even
scheduled. Thus, when Federal officials speak in terms of the Social
Security Trust Fund being solvent until about 2040 that is assuming the $4
trillion dollars is available for use. The reality is that Social Security
recipients may stop getting C.O.L.A. increases during coming years so as to
stretch the solvency limits further.
Now, we are being asked to "trust" the same Federal Government with our own
personal healthcare based on a 1,017 page document full of pork and pay
backs and set asides, without even the consideration of a national debate, a
study by Congress and the House, or even a voter's choice.
Personally, I don't think so -----------------------decide for yourself. |
