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	<title>Dose of Clarity &#187; health care</title>
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	<description>Logic and common sense</description>
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		<title>Quality health care for America</title>
		<link>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/quality-health-care-for-america/</link>
		<comments>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/quality-health-care-for-america/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:53:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[america]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[federal government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[individual responsibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[socialism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://doseofclarity.com/?p=637</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Could it be that Americans are unfairly criticizing the recently passed health care legislation in the House of Representatives?  Is there any doubt that the optimal health of each and every American is the utmost concern of our elected officials?  Are we letting negative assessments cloud our judgment regarding the altruistic intentions of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Could it be that Americans are unfairly criticizing the recently passed health care legislation in the House of Representatives?  Is there any doubt that the optimal health of each and every American is the utmost concern of our elected officials?  Are we letting negative assessments cloud our judgment regarding the altruistic intentions of our leaders that certainly care for us so unselfishly?  Should we be apprehensive concerning the Government’s ability to deliver quality health care to the masses, after all, they are the U.S. Government and they claim to be helping.  The best indication we have in these regards is a clear illustration of the alleged value of this proposal, for it has already been conclusively graded for quality and the results are indeed significant and worthy of consideration, this certainty can not be emphasized enough and is expressed by the following truth.  Our Congressional leadership rejected amendments in both the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Rules Committee that would require members of Congress and other governmental officials to enroll in the exact same plan they are proposing for us.  This absolute lack of an endorsement should speak volumes about the quality that can be expected from this legislation that is supposedly the solution for the rest of us Americans.  Their personal objections undermine any and all credibility, but then again maybe we should consider that perhaps Congress is just being thoughtful of the American people by not diverting any of the sheer abundance of benefits from this proposal to themselves.  Yeah!  That must be it.  </p>
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		<title>Health care can not be a right</title>
		<link>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/health-care-can-not-be-a-right/</link>
		<comments>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/health-care-can-not-be-a-right/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:29:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entitlement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[individual responsibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[individual rights]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://doseofclarity.com/?p=631</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Health care can not possibly be a right in our society unless it is considered acceptable to retract the rights of others to pursue their own livelihoods.  Typically, health care being a right is an assertion that usually follows any discussion about one’s ability to pay for such services.  For one citizen to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Health care can not possibly be a right in our society unless it is considered acceptable to retract the rights of others to pursue their own livelihoods.  Typically, health care being a right is an assertion that usually follows any discussion about one’s ability to pay for such services.  For one citizen to believe that they have a right to complimentary health care is to further believe that another citizen must have the obligation to provide that care, thus denying that person their own rights as a citizen.  Nobody in our society should have the expectation of entitlement that depends on the efforts of others, or alternatively, no citizen has a right to infringe on another person’s living.  It is no different than believing that a homebuilder should not be compelled to build a house for another because they are homeless, nor should a car dealer be forced to provide a car to someone that does not have one.  In general, most rights that are recognized are regarded as negative rights <span id="more-631"></span>meaning we are free to pursue something in life without interference; this is opposed to positive rights that obligate a person into action on behalf of another.  Positive rights are acknowledged in our society, but complimentary receipt of them should not be expected, otherwise the rights of one are trampled in order to accommodate the other. </p>
<p>As human beings we want to believe that health care is a right simply to demonstrate that we are creatures of compassion with a properly functioning moral compass.  It would seem less than civilized to not consider health care to be an entitlement, but the truth is that such care must be provided by other citizens that also have rights and freedoms that must be respected.  Simply transferring a right from one person to another is not doing anything for our society, nor will it ever.  We humans have a great capacity to help others if it remains our choice to do so, but that becomes very limited once it is forced upon us.  All of us have a right to pursue quality health care, but not at the expense of our fellow citizens.  Adding this perspective to the dialogue paints a more comprehensive picture and accordingly it becomes obvious that health care can not be a right because it violates the rights of another; it should be viewed as a privilege to be “pursued” regardless of how uncaring or objectionable that may sound.  It is an imperfect world that we live in and there is a cost to everything that must be paid, so it stands to reason that consumers should compensate providers for any goods or services they receive and not expect others to be obligated.  Subscribing to this tried and true practice ensures that everyone’s rights remain intact thereby alleviating this whole debate.</p>
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		<title>Socialism by default</title>
		<link>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/socialism-by-default/</link>
		<comments>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/socialism-by-default/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:41:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[big government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[political risk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[private market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[socialism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://doseofclarity.com/?p=624</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Socialism may very well arrive in our nation by the simple annexing of private industry incrementally using the disingenuous ploy of supposedly “saving” us from economic disaster, but it may be more likely to arrive with a sudden crash provoked by bad public policy that conveniently creates an unforeseen emergency.  Upon its advent, it [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7300605@N02/2291642504/"><img src="http://doseofclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/2291642504_65674c9df3-150x150.jpg" alt="Socialism" title="Socialism" width="150" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-623" /></a>Socialism may very well arrive in our nation by the simple annexing of private industry incrementally using the disingenuous ploy of supposedly “saving” us from economic disaster, but it may be more likely to arrive with a sudden crash provoked by bad public policy that conveniently creates an unforeseen emergency.  Upon its advent, it will be popularly accepted that only the massive resources of our enormous Government will have the capacity to solve this emergency.  They in turn will be more than happy to intervene using our public funds to take command of any remaining industries not already in their domain, and instantly socialism has arrived by default.  The Government already controls a large percentage of our economy through the banks, mortgage companies, automotive industry, and they are diligently working to include health care which represents a large segment of our economy.  One would have to honestly admit that we are effectively socialistic at that point.  How could so much of the American economy be controlled by the public sector and it <span id="more-624"></span>even be possible to think otherwise?  That would obviously be a classic case of denial given that we would not want to admit what we have become as a nation.</p>
<p>It is interesting to note that the more the Government becomes involved, the more likely it will actually cause the downward pressure as private money flees the additional political risk, this results in even more bureaucratic intrusion that virtually ensures an “emergency” develops from the downward spiraling loop created.  The stage has been set politically for this occurrence, and even though Americans are growing weary of public solutions to our economic problems, they will unlikely stand in opposition once a severe crisis appears that is perceived catastrophic and beyond the limits of any private solution.  The truth is that it is never beyond the scope of private solutions that often call for strict measures to be administered in order to solve the difficulty, it remains to be seen if our public is willing to withstand that unpleasant reality.  The choice will have to be made between suffering a severe private market solution that will conclude efficiently and with certainty or a prolonged ineffective effort from our Government at the enormous cost of our ongoing freedom.  It is clear that socialism is looming and we are naively embracing it with our apathy believing that it will never really happen, or by turning to it after a sudden instigated emergency that initiates a panic, either way, we are being ushered to that eventual future that seems so coveted by the leaders we continue to elect.  This will continue until the day we decide to reject this outcome by exercising our freedom to vote and remove those that covertly support socialism as an improvement. If not, then we should not be surprised at the result.    </p>
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		<title>Characterizing the insurance mandate</title>
		<link>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/characterizing-the-insurance-mandate/</link>
		<comments>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/characterizing-the-insurance-mandate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:19:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[individual mandate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insurance mandate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tax increase]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://doseofclarity.com/?p=597</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There has been a lot of public debate lately about having an insurance mandate as part of the health care reform proposal, and the characterization of it has been met with varying opinions.  The main disparity is centered on whether this should be considered a tax increase hence breaking the campaign promise of not [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There has been a lot of public debate lately about having an insurance mandate as part of the health care reform proposal, and the characterization of it has been met with varying opinions.  The main disparity is centered on whether this should be considered a tax increase hence breaking the campaign promise of not raising taxes on people making less than $250k.  Supporters of the mandate are feverishly defending it as simply providing for one’s own health care or being assessed a penalty upon failure to obtain such coverage.  Critics are countering with the fact that the Government is mandating this on its citizens thus it is effectively a tax.  While the politicians, pundits, and the media are debating how to label this forced participation, it should not be difficult for us citizens to characterize the end result.  Regardless of what official label is ascribed to it as the political games continue, the one certainty is it will extract money out of the pockets of citizens.  This will surely <span id="more-597"></span>be the case if you are not currently buying insurance or if you are directed to upgrade your current policy because it is deemed insufficient or unacceptable by our Government.  From a logical point of view, it really does not matter if you call it a tax, penalty, fine, assessment, fee, or any other designation because the Government taking or directing money away from someone involuntarily will still have the same tangible impact.  If people prefer to call it a penalty versus a tax or a fee versus a fine then they are free to do so because the result is identical.  The debate is disingenuous because it is nothing more than political posturing for the sole purpose of shaping the public’s opinion on classifying the sequestering of people from their money, but we as a public should understand this.  It seems foolish to care about the political debate describing the mandate when the outcome of its implementation is already known, we should remain observant of substance over form.  This game is only important to politicians so they can refute any future accusations of busted campaign promises once confronted by opponents, but it should remain pointless to us.</p>
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		<title>Illegal immigrants may still win with health care</title>
		<link>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/illegal-immigrants-may-still-win-with-health-care/</link>
		<comments>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/illegal-immigrants-may-still-win-with-health-care/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:29:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amnesty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HR 3200]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[illegal immigration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[immigration reform]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://doseofclarity.com/?p=589</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Will illegal immigrants be able to take advantage of national health care or will the proposed bill HR 3200 exclude them from services as claimed by the supporters of the bill?  This is the issue that led to the outburst by Rep. Joe Wilson during the President’s address to Congress and set off a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Will illegal immigrants be able to take advantage of national health care or will the proposed bill HR 3200 exclude them from services as claimed by the supporters of the bill?  This is the issue that led to the outburst by Rep. Joe Wilson during the President’s address to Congress and set off a firestorm that has become a political football despite an apology given and accepted by the two men themselves.   There is a section in the bill (Sec 246) that excludes illegal immigrants specifically from “affordability credits,” this then begs the question as to how comprehensive is its scope.  Republicans state that it is only one area of the bill and nowhere else are there any exclusions nor does it provide a verification process to administer services, earlier attempts at such provisions have been struck down upon any inclusion within the bill.  Apparently, the Obama Administration agreed with this verification argument and issued a clarification within days after Rep. Wilson’s outburst by adding a requirement for proof of citizenship.  The underlying question <span id="more-589"></span>becomes does it really matter if such provisions are inserted because there likely will not be the requisite desire to enforce them?  It will not be the first time that we have selectively enforced our laws in this nation which have largely been responsible for most of the disastrous issues we face today.  Moreover, it is well known that comprehensive immigration reform is a hot-button issue for our current Government and they will soon be bringing it to the forefront of the agenda.  <a href="http://doseofclarity.com/politics/immigration-reform-legitimizes-misdeeds/">This is simply a backdoor process of bestowing amnesty to illegals</a> and wrapping it in a pretty bow called reform.  We already have a system of immigration laws in place, but amnesty not being included among them gives rise to calls of reform that will be championed while claiming our current system is broken.  When boiled down, it is really about finding a means to keep 12+ million illegal immigrants legally in the United States.  With these points in mind, it should make us wonder if it really matters what provisions are added or what agreements are made concerning health care for illegals when they are expected to be rendered a moot point anyway by design.  Either they all become legal residents by reform or we will selectively enforce the laws created by a health care bill that was left wide open and purposely ambiguous.  It should yet prove to be another example of business as usual.</p>
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		<title>The health care debate should focus on one crucial element</title>
		<link>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/the-health-care-debate-should-focus-on-one-crucial-element/</link>
		<comments>http://doseofclarity.com/politics/the-health-care-debate-should-focus-on-one-crucial-element/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:27:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commerce clause]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government intervention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public option]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[town halls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://doseofclarity.com/?p=568</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[People across the nation are currently getting all twisted up in town halls and other demonstrations concerning the Government’s proposed health care reform.  The outcry is very understandable because it is an emotional issue that affects all of us and the outcome will have lasting effects on our nation.  Every facet of the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://doseofclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/caduceus11.jpg"><img src="http://doseofclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/caduceus11-150x150.jpg" alt="Caduceus" title="Caduceus" width="150" height="150" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-570" /></a>People across the nation are currently getting all twisted up in town halls and other demonstrations concerning the Government’s proposed health care reform.  The outcry is very understandable because it is an emotional issue that affects all of us and the outcome will have lasting effects on our nation.  Every facet of the proposed bill is being argued, but only one single issue is really essential concerning the 1500+ pages of legalese.  It is not what is covered, rationing of care, choice, single payer, or whether grandma will be allowed to live to her 75th birthday.  The crucial point of the entire bill is where will the decision authority reside after its passage and into the future.  Currently, this judgment exists at the point of service with patients and their doctors along with some occasional battles with an insurance company.  The question to be answered within the debate is does this authority continue to fully reside with the individual or does it shift <span id="more-568"></span>some or all of the power over to the Government.  The answer to this question can be obscured because it must be determined exactly how much may shift to the Government up front, and how much may slowly be absorbed by them over time due to the system they purposely established to encourage adoption.  This is really the crux of the issue because if the individual maintains control then the market will respond accordingly, if the Government gains control instantly or gradually through time, then we could only expect them to bring about all the nightmare scenarios we currently fear.  The details of the proposal as it stands right now are meaningless because once control is officially conveyed then bureaucrats will determine the specifics from that day forward.  A system will be created that allows them to make any changes on the spot they deem reasonable, or they can incrementally initiate changes that will bring about the same results in due time.  During this debate, it is wise to remember that the Government only acquires power through citizens relinquishing it, and once it is attained, they will surely use it with healthcare in much the same way as they used the commerce clause in the past to manipulate our lives and behavior as <a href="http://doseofclarity.com/politics/universal-health-care-may-be-the-commerce-clause-revisited/">recently argued</a>.</p>
<p>Simply analyzing the proposal through the lens of where control resides upon its passage should be the foremost objective of this entire debate, and the timing of any attained control is irrelevant because the outcome will serve to the same end.  All the other details within the current bill are just distractions that can confuse or be used to influence the public to facilitate passing the proposal.  They serve mostly as a red herring because the resulting outcome of the control issue will determine the details that will be enjoyed by everyone except our elite politicians of course.  People have to fully comprehend the inherent danger of allowing the Government to control our healthcare despite concerns that any individual&#8217;s specific health is not going to be paramount.  Regardless of the message being conveyed, our Government has a history littered with broken promises and gross mismanagement because it will serve itself at all costs to include the health of any citizen.  Furthermore, not supporting the proposal as currently written does not suggest that healthcare concerns in our nation do not need to be addressed and improved.  We only need to debate the prudence of giving our politicians a mandate of control, the specific details will fall into place accordingly upon resolution.</p>
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