How Can Health Care Reform Equal a Loss of Liberty and Freedom?

by Karen Hatter | August 19, 2009 at 09:51 am

349 views | 47 Recommendations | 10 comments

An intriguing question arose at the comment thread of my article, This Shouldn't Happen in America, here at NowPublic, regarding the current volatile discussion/debate raging over health care reform. The focused point of the question was how does U.S. health care reform translate into loss of liberty and freedom in general?

For an unknown number of American citizens across the nation, for an undetermined period of time, it has been believed elected officials have gone to Washington D.C., drafting and enacting legislation and policies that are not in the interest of those who've voted for them.

One issue now highlighted in the midst of this swirl of loss of faith, distrust and apprehension of elected officials is the issue of health care reform.

Some discontented citizens feel a sense of betrayal, that their former candidate Representative(s) and/or Senator(s) have/had proclaimed they would do one thing prior to being elected yet did something else once elected to office.

That reality is a well known phenomena that has been referenced when it has been said that politics make strange bedfellows, the inference being that to get things done, odd or unexpected alliances may be/have been made to achieve a goal.

For some citizens, discontent is due to the less than clear articulation of an actual plan for health care reform, as there is not a bill that represents the fruits born of the efforts of both branches of Congress hashing out details, providing something that is ready for a vote and a signature.

Many questions loom on the horizon while the details of any and all of these plans cannot be addressed until Congress has completed its work in streamlining and designing health care reform. At the top of the list of questions: How will the plan be paid for and how will the plan effect those already insured?

For others, discontent seems to arise from the fact that this nation is a republic and not a true democracy. As a republic, the United States is a representative form of government that wields power using democratic principles, with its citizens voting for representation in the government.

There are citizens in the U.S. who now find themselves faced with a government not to their liking, for a variety of reasons. Intertwined among those reasons are concerns related to the current administration and the changing demographics within the country, which has been characterized by conservatives, like Pat Buchanan and Right Wing elements in this country as the 'browning' of America.

Among these citizens, they believe this will result in certain, inevitable upheaval in their lives, as has been widely reported upon by Right Wing Conservatives who have warned of a demographically changing America for more than two decades.

A palpable portion of opposition to health care reform centers around concerns from some elements of U.S. society that legislation will be enacted that takes resources away from truly worthy citizen recipients to be given to those who are being characterized as undeserving, undocumented persons, also known as 'illegal aliens', in conjunction with care being dispensed to other American citizens, who are being characterized as lazy, nonproductive members in American society.

There has been renewed emphasis and clamoring for states' rights in the United States, with the motivation being portrayed as too much government interference in individual states' rights and what each state may want to do, which has evidenced itself in the resurgence of those identified as sovereignty and patriot movements.

Government interference in individual states' rights was the cry shouted by members of the Confederacy as they fought to maintain the institution of slavery. The trampling of states' rights were lamented by those in opposition to dismantling segregation and the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

When the first civil rights act was passed and enacted, 1875 Civil Rights Act, among other actions, it was declared illegal to discriminate on the basis of race.

Following the Compromise of 1877, a deal brokered between the Republican and Democratic Parties to name Republican Rutherford B. Hayes president in the disputed 1876 election, Republican sponsored federal troop protection, necessary for promoting the safety of the formerly enslaved descendants of Africa, was removed in the southern states.

The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was later made impotent by a ruling issued from the U.S. Supreme Court in 1883, allowing for the re-establishment of many of the discriminatory laws and practices that had existed before the emancipation of the formerly enslaved in 1865. Not until the legislation signed in 1964 and 1965 would those practices finally be outlawed.

Today, in 2009, there is are those seeking to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Right Act of 1965, among elements within extremist and White nationalist/supremacist groups.

The states' rights argument, in the case of the call to repeal the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, of 1964 and 1965, puts forward the belief that in this case, these specific pieces of legislation were not voted into law on a state by state basis, therefore, the acts are not representative of the will of all of the people.

It is proposed that the acts be placed on ballots in every state, in an effort, it is argued, toward making the acts truly democratically decided and enacted pieces of legislation. This argument is meant to emphasize 'big government' infringement on states' rights.

This strategy is not likely to be successful but, there is similar passion that relates to this issue that fuels the ire of elements within American society, who respond with a visceral reaction to change that has come and is coming in America, change that does not set well among these elements.

There are those who feel, as evidenced by the hate filled rhetoric propagated through cable network news, radio airwaves and the internet, that the government, with the word 'government' spoken in low, snarling and ominous tones, has overstepped or will overstep its bounds, as has been alleged it has done in the past.

For those individuals who subscribe to similar beliefs being expressed by extreme elements within American society, and for some others, it is felt there will be a loss of liberty and general freedom with the passage of a health care reform bill that will provide care to individuals that some feel to be undeserving of care and who, it is perceived, may receive care to the detriment and at the expense of all of who feel they have lost or are losing their ability to turn back the rising tide of change.

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peter.reardon

at 16:07 on August 19th, 2009

Well said! The story would be useful in high school social studies classes, or adult study groups.

Peter

158

at 16:14 on August 19th, 2009

A good report.

We must remember health care must be paid for by the taxpayers.

albertacowpoke

at 17:34 on August 19th, 2009

I hate to get somebody's face out of joint, but news flash, the same tax payer pays for health care now. Incredibly there was an article in the Edmonton Journal this morning stating that Canadian doctors are pushing for private health care.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Doctors+call+competition/1906764/story.html

So you can see the debate over health care and its delivery never changes, even though we have had a single payer system for decades.

smkovalinsky

at 17:58 on August 19th, 2009

I agree that this story would make good class discussion, in high school or college political sci or current events course work. Brava.

Babel-Fish

at 21:51 on August 19th, 2009

I can not for the life of me understand how health care reform can possibly effect liberty and freedom?

America citizens freedom seemingly is to make money and then let the devil take the high most. What we are really seeing here is well I can afford health care I have a job or a business. Look at those people living on the streets and drinking meths, tut tut they are wasters and not having my tax money.

blinkers on Oh those people that have lost jobs the old and the poor souls that are very ill or have a disability, really not my problem as a patriotic full blooded American. Oh it does not matter if there many more of them than the wasters that would or could abuse a national health system. I am covered by good health insurance and that is all that matters.

Oh 46,000,000 citizens with out health cover well they are all wasters and i do not wish to listen or help. yep its all about my freedom and liberty. Social care? oh that's communism isn't it.

Its strange how people that have a similar opinion when hard time fall upon them want the things they were anti against when they were much more fortunate. They suddenly realise that things are not as they thought they were concerning the poor and the unfortunate that charity is not the answer but national social care is.

Freedom and liberty is not about selfishness those that sort to obtain such in history wanted it for everyone it was a social requirement and not a selfish one. USA has been a place where people have had such freedom and liberty whilst but whilst people enjoyed such others did not such as the blacks and those at the bottom of the ladder of the American dream. Many of your citizens have found themselves in a position not of their own making but of economical circumstances. Loss of jobs and low incomes and if they or their families become ill have no medical cover and can only hope for charity.

Its time that America added social care to those magic words of freedom and liberty then we may see the real dream of the founding fathers a new utopia. A nation with a heart....

worm wood

at 23:47 on August 19th, 2009

We should be aware that when these private companies gone bankrupt, people lost their job. Instead of sparing some bread to the poor, those people who are rich before were asking for their part of the pie, although they deserve such benefit from their taxes. But it's like giving to the poor and taking it back..

The truth of the matter, it is the shareholders and stockholders who feel threatened to lose their freedom and liberty because they analyze Health Care Reforms in a self-preservation, self-interest, greedy point of view. And most of the people shares the same analytical thinking. They fear the worse, the home for the aged where they placed their own parents, and the treatment depending on how much you can pay. So, regardless their relatives takes care of them or not, they fear Health Care Reforms.

Who doesn't want to have a comfortable life in their old age? But why is it that when people foresee their old-age, they still wanted to have the very best? Can they even see that they will enjoy such benefits when they become old or would they reach old age? Are you the only one that will get old? Is USA really United States of America or just America?

In our old age, we don't need many things, but the way the earth is taking its toll, we can't prevent diseases and new ones. I suggest, USA study how much one person will really need when he gets old. If he has too much, donate it to cancer research! If government finds that you have cancer despite the fact that they said drinking and smoking is bad to your health, then, you deserve to suffer. But this is not the case, there should really be Health Care Reforms, if it would effect the economy, so be it. When people starts to think other than for themselves and stop living in fantasies and accident existence, time will come that there will be equilibrium

Start from studying our grassroots why we are getting sickly everyday, especially, in spiritual sense.

Proverbs 4: 20 -22 (The Message)

    Dear friend, listen well to my words;

   tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
   Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
   body and soul, they're bursting with health.

francislholland

at 03:48 on August 20th, 2009

Karen, you said some are afraid that health care reform:

takes resources away from truly worthy citizen recipients to be given to those who are being characterized as undeserving, undocumented persons, also known as 'illegal aliens', in conjunction with care being dispensed to other American citizens, who are being characterized as lazy, nonproductive members in American society.

Without naming names, this is the very concern that was expressed in comments here about health care reform, and I responded by pointing out to commenters that "You, Too, Are At Risk When Neighbors Lack Access to Health Care."

However, there's something going on here that affected the welfare debate years ago. Some people are afraid that Black people and brown people will benefit from newly accessible health care, and that fear and antagonism is so great that if they were given a choice between operating on themselves next to a brown person or having doctors operate on both of them, they'd prefer to operate on themselves than see a brown person receive something "they don't deserve."

The fear is that Black and brown people will benefit from the legislation working its way through Congress. One only need read the comments on Michelle's Bermuda shorts over at Stormfront to see that antagonism toward people based on their skin color is inevitably a very large part of the resistance to national health care. Many people simply don't want health care for themselves if it's also going to go to brown-skinned people.

Babel-Fish

at 09:14 on August 20th, 2009

I really don't think that this is about race, color or religion its capitalism against social care.

Ricky Two Shoes (not verified)

at 07:16 on August 20th, 2009

Francisholland,

You are likely correct in your assesment that there is resistance to healthcare being made available to people of brown skinned people, but it is not a large part of the proponents as you state. I personally have not heard any such statements and have I had many conversations with people over this issue. Nothing is more heartbreaking to hear of a child losing a parent over something that should be a right in this country.

Save for a few ignorant groups of Americans, white people today in general do not subscribe to the backward thinking of the past. It might even suprise you, as well as AG Holder, that many whites have friends and business/working associates of African decent that they consider their equals. Many even know of professional business people of African decent that live above the average national income and are only looked upon with admiration.You might even be suprised that a white administration enacted the equal rights acts and voting rights act that all have benefited from.This type of racial profiling against white people only because they are sticking up for what they believe in only hurts the progress of our unique society and only distracts from the healthcare reform we all need. I for one cannot afford care for my wife.

The biggest fear of the current proposals to reform healthcare is that they will lose benefiets that they have now and have worked their entire adult lives to acheive. That is a concern of people of all colors. The other concern is the idea of giving free care to illegal immigrants. Why on Gods green earth would you provide something to a group of people that are here illegally when you can't even properly provide for the poorest of our own.

The people that are protesting the governments proposals have a right to do so and should be free of derogatory comments based on outdated stereotypes. These people are not confident that our government can acheive a satisfying result and are expressing their concerns. This is the same process that made this country the great society that it is. Please don't hinder it with false information.