Category Archives: Conservative Perspective

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM

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The terms Left wing and Right wing get thrown around constantly these days with little explanation as to what they mean. Therefore, its time for a brief lesson in government/history/civics. I don’t think most young people have ever even considered the theories behind the various forms of government, or what is referred to as American Exceptionalism. It appears they aren’t being taught such things in school.

The Left has many names; Communist, Socialist, Marxist, Leninist, Maoist, Nazi, STATIST, etc. Each of these describes a big central government controlled by a dictator or small group of Elites who make all the “rules” but live by none of them. Actually Monarchies and Oligarchies fall into the same basic category. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Individual. The Right holds to the principle that the individual’s rights trump those of the State. However, when carried to the extreme, individualism leads to Anarchy, the total absence of a government.

The brilliance of our Founding Fathers vision for this country was the creation of a central government that was, by design, limited by a Constitution, the supreme law of the land. It is based on establishing a central government which has very specific limited powers while at the same time sustains the rights of the individual. This individual freedom and personal liberty to achieve one’s own dreams is what has drawn millions to this unique country from all around the world. But, since the day it was written and adopted our Constitution has been under attack, ALWAYS from the Left.

Those who oppose a limited form of Constitutional government are now described as “Progressives” because they have had to be satisfied with a gradual erosion of that document, through interpretation and Amendment, with their goal continuing to be a bigger and bigger central government. This is what Jefferson meant when he said, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.” Thus the need for those on the Right, who support individual freedom and liberty, to continue the fight against those who would usurp those rights.

Leftist, Elitists, Marxists, whatever you want to call them, continue their efforts to control every individual based on the myth that a utopian state can be achieved once every individual becomes totally subordinate to the collective good. Obviously, this theory is contrary to basic human nature and is therefore pure folly. The intellectual elite know this as well, but they are not deterred. Their quest for power and control leads them to use the “suffering” of the masses to lure the working class toward what can only be described as a “counter revolution”, which is in reality waged against themselves.

Today we find ourselves fighting this ill-conceived and self-destructive counter revolution, orchestrated from the Left. I, for one, remain firmly to the Right of center because that is where American Exceptionalism resides.

Class dismissed, but please be aware there will be a final exam on Tuesday, November 6th. If you don’t show up that day you will fail. If you show up with the Wrong (Left) answer, we all fail.

Next – We Indict the Media

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My friend and fellow advocate of Repealing Obamacare, Adrian Murray, posted the following on Facebook and with his permission I am re-posting it here. In the wake of last night’s Presidential debate in Denver it should be crystal clear to everyone that the Mainstream Media has an agenda that includes doing whatever it takes to keep the current President in office. Their blatant partisanship under the guise of reporting the news has become a modern day “Yellow Journalism” and borders on the criminal.

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NEXT – WE INDICT THE MEDIA

It was clear to anybody paying even the remotest attention four years ago that the media was selling the American public a fraudulent bill of goods called Barack Obama. The man clearly hadn’t the slightest qualification to be President of the United States and yet the mainstream media refused to properly vet him, refused to explore his past, ignored any relevant criticism and generally acted like preteen schoolgirls at a Justin Bieber concert. Talent schmalant. He’s just so dreamy.

That’s not meant to be a knock on the President. No one will deny his oratory skills and his unique ability to stir passions in his followers with thrilling platitudes about nothing. That a significant portion of the American public is so alarmingly naïve and simplistic is not Barack Obama’s fault. Ambitious men seize upon opportunities and if the media was intent upon creating a wedge formation to allow Obama to waltz into the end zone, we cannot fault him for taking the ball and running with it.

What we saw last night was the bare exposition of the media lie. For weeks we have been assured by both print and broadcast that the Romney campaign was all but over, that he had imploded and his campaign has fizzled. “It’s over,” we were told. “Disarray” was the buzzword most often heard. Ask yourself: who was in disarray last night, Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?

It’s often been said that the media elected Barack Obama in 2008, acting as little more than cheerleaders and adeptly playing defense for the man. But Obama was not so much elected by the media as he was inflicted by the media, a consortium of liberal and leftist feel-gooders so awash in white guilt they never even once considered that absolving themselves of their self-induced guilt by abetting the election to the presidency of the United States a man not remotely qualified for the position might, just might, not be a good thing for the citizens of this country.

Oh, how the American people have suffered these last four years. Twenty-four million unable to find a job. Think of that for a second. We bandy about numbers and percentages so much that we often forget those are real people, maybe your neighbor, maybe a relative. Imagine every man, woman and child in Texas out of work, living on food stamps and government handouts, without homes or hope. That’s what Obama’s presidency has inflicted on the American people. That is a direct result of the media’s malpractice and they should be made to pay the price.

Many viewers last night were presented with facts that the media has carefully hidden. Did you know that the big tax breaks oil companies (not much more than depreciation) is just $2.9 billion while Obama’s gifts to the wind and solar industries (i.e., Obama donors) amounts to $90 billion? Neither did I. The utter, complete and devastating failure of the Obama presidency was on full display last night and along with it the media conspiracy to cover it up.

It is often said that the cover up is worse than the crime. That is certainly the case with the media’s protective fawning of Barack Obama. They can almost be forgiven for 2008. At the time many Americans were suffering from Bush-fatigue and, let’s face it, McCain was an uninspiring candidate. Maybe the media’s wet dream would have a happy ending. Most of us woke up the day after the election and hoped that would be the case.

But the disaster that has ensued is blindingly clear to all but the blind. The American people have suffered enough. Too many homes have been lost. Too many suffer without work. Too many are made to shed their dignity for government handouts. Too many face an uncertain future and live in fear of what tomorrow may bring. The media must be called to account. The curtain was pulled back last night and the emperor had no clothes, his empty suit carelessly draped over an empty chair.

Democracy cannot exist in a vacuum and that is exactly what the mainstream media has dutifully created to cover up their 2008 crime.

Off with their heads.

Americans Deserve Better

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I admit I haven’t read Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and I probably never will, but I know I speak for many of my fellow Americans when I say that after witnessing the actions of President Obama over the last few years it is easy to understand the basic tactics of the radical left. Some of them are pretty obvious, such as consistently dividing people into groups and then pitting the groups against each other. This has been most frequently accomplished by using charges of racism or homophobia or gender bias or whatever makes a great headline for a complicit media. The more outrageous the claims the more of an emotional reaction it generates, which is their real goal. Whether its a video showing grandma in a wheelchair being thrown off a cliff or simply an outrageous statement telling small business owners that they didn’t really build their businesses, the objective is to generate the maximum visceral response. Once the stage has been set with a backdrop of anger, class envy or fear, the opportunity exists to offer a magnanimous government solution. Clearly this is precisely the same technique used by mobsters back in the 1920’s to convince the people of Chicago they needed “protection”, and it is precisely the mechanism that was used to ram healthcare reform down the throats of the American people.

Sinister is the word that comes to mind when assessing these efforts of radical leftists. They “never let a crisis go to waste”, but more importantly their modus operandi is to actually create one crisis after another in the minds of an increasingly gullible public through reckless and divisive rhetoric. Perhaps the most subtle technique of all can best be described as reciprocal deception. Accuse anyone who opposes you of the very techniques you are using against them. I offer the following statement as a clear example of this process.

The Quote of the Decade:  “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, “the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” ~ Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006.

I would simply say YES Mr. President, we do deserve better, and we are aware of your persistent attempts to deceive us with your predictable radical style. We are fully cognizant of your back room deals designed to usurp our basic, God-given human rights. We have been awakened by your all too transparent lies and your constant efforts to deflect blame for our failing economy. We have seen how intentionally weak and inept you appear to be in dealing with both our friends and our adversaries around the world. We understand that you believe you are above the Constitution, the Congress and the Supreme Court. We acknowledge that through your hollow rhetoric and shallow charm, you have been successful at convincing many trusting souls that you are indeed “the answer.” But, you should be advised that the rest of America is now fully aroused and we are on our collective feet.

So, on November 6, 2012, “We The People of the United States of America” hereby promise to soundly defeat you and your agenda in the most historic election of our time. There is nothing you can do or say at this point to stop us from turning out in record numbers, despite any Chicago-style efforts you or your minions may use to intimidate or suppress the vote, or fraudulently attempt to steal this election. As Clint Eastwood said, “We Own This Country” and it is well passed the time for you to vacate our White House.

Mr. President, for once you are absolutely correct; we not only deserve better, we will have better, so help us God!

 

The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any organization or group. please feel free to review other posts on www.spiritofhealthcare.com 

Forestalling the Demise of Freedom

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I am attaching an e-mail letter I received recently without specific permission, but, you will see at the end there is a request to forward it to everyone, thus the inclusion in this blog. I actually thought about trying to rewrite this in my own words, but I’m not sure there is any way I could deliver this message any more clearly than this author has.

Obama’s Second Term Transformation Plans

The 2012 election has often been described as the most pivotal since 1860. This statement is not hyperbole. If Barack Obama is re-elected the United States will never be the same, nor will it be able to re-capture its once lofty status as the most dominant nation in the history of mankind.

The overwhelming majority of Americans do not understand that Obama’s first term was dedicated to putting in place executive power to enable him and the administration to fulfill the campaign promise of “transforming America ” in his second term regardless of which political party controls Congress. That is why his re-election team is virtually ignoring the plight of incumbent or prospective Democratic Party office holders.

The most significant accomplishment of Obama’s first term is to make Congress irrelevant. Under the myopic and blindly loyal leadership of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats have succeeded in creating an imperial and, in a second term, a potential dictatorial presidency.

During the first two years of the Obama administration when the Democrats overwhelmingly controlled both Houses of Congress and the media was in an Obama worshipping stupor, a myriad of laws were passed and actions taken which transferred virtually unlimited power to the executive branch.

The birth of multi-thousand page laws was not an aberration. This tactic was adopted so the bureaucracy controlled by Obama appointees would have sole discretion in interpreting vaguely written laws and enforcing thousands of pages of regulations they, and not Congress, would subsequently write.

For example, in the 2,700 pages of ObamaCare there are more than 2,500 references to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. There are more than 700 instances when he or she is instructed that they “shall” do something, and more than 200 times when they “may” take at their sole discretion some form of regulatory action. On 139 occasions, the law mentions that the “Secretary determines.” In essence one person, appointed by and reporting to the president, will be in charge of the health care of 310 million Americans once ObamaCare is fully operational in 2014.

The same is true in the 2,319 pages of the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act. which confers nearly unlimited power on various agencies to control by fiat the nation’s financial, banking and investment sectors. The bill also creates new agencies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, not subject to any oversight by Congress. This overall process was repeated numerous times with other legislation all with the intent of granting unfettered power to the executive branch controlled by Barack Obama and his radical associates.

Additionally, the Obama administration has, through its unilaterally determined rule making and regulatory powers, created laws out of whole cloth. The Environmental Protection Agency on a near daily basis issues new regulations clearly out of their purview in order to modify and change environmental laws previously passed, and to impose a radical green agenda never approved by Congress. The same is true of the Energy and Interior Departments among many others.

None of these extra-constitutional actions have been challenged by Congress. The left in America knows this usurpation of power is nearly impossible to reverse unless stopped in its early stages.

It is clearly the mindset of this administration and its appointees that Congress is merely a nuisance, and can be ignored after they were able to take full advantage of the useful idiots in the Democrat controlled House and Senate in 2009-2010, and the Democrat Senate in the current Congress.

Additionally, Barack Obama knows after his re-election a Republican controlled House and Senate will not be able to enact any legislation to roll back the power previously granted to the Executive Branch, or usurped by them. His veto will not be overridden as there will always be at least 145 Democratic members of the House or 34 in the Senate in agreement with or intimidated by an administration more than willing to use Chicago style political tactics.

The stalemate between the Executive and Legislative Branches will inure to the benefit of Barack Obama and his fellow leftists.

The most significant power Congress has is the control of the purse-strings as all spending must be approved by them. However, once re-elected, Barack Obama, as confirmed by his willingness to do or say anything and his unscrupulous re-election tactics, would not only threaten government shutdowns but would deliberately withhold payments to those dependent on government support as a means of intimidating and forcing a Republican controlled Congress to surrender to his demands, thus neutering their ability to control the administration through spending constraints.

Further, this administration has shown contempt for the courts by ignoring various court orders, e.g. the Gulf of Mexico oil drilling moratorium, as well as stonewalling subpoenas and requests issued by Congress. The Eric Holder Justice Department has become the epitome of corruption as part of the most dishonest and deceitful administration in American history. In a second term the arrogance of Barack Obama and his minions will become more blatant as he will not have to be concerned with re-election.

Who will be there to enforce the rule of law, a Supreme Court ruling or the Constitution? No one. Barack Obama and his fellow-travelers will be unchallenged as they run roughshod over the American people.

Many Republicans and conservatives dissatisfied with the prospect of Mitt Romney as the nominee for president are instead focused on re-taking the House and Senate. That goal, while worthy and necessary, is meaningless unless Barack Obama is defeated. The nation is not dealing with a person of character and integrity but someone of single-minded purpose and overwhelming narcissism. Judging by his actions, words and deeds during his first term, he does not intend to work with Congress either Republican or Democrat in his second term but rather to force his radical agenda on the American people through the power he has usurped or been granted.

The governmental structure of the United States was set up by the founders in the hope that over the years only those people of high moral character and integrity would assume the reins of power. However, knowing that was not always possible, they dispersed power over three distinct and independent branches as a check on each other.

What they could not imagine is the surrender and abdication of its constitutional duty by the preeminent governmental branch, the Congress, to a chief executive devoid of any character or integrity coupled with a judiciary essentially powerless to enforce the law when the chief executive ignores them . Americans must come to grips with this moment in time and their historical role in denying Barack Obama and his minions their ultimate goal. All resources must be directed at that end-game and not merely controlling Congress and the various committee chairmanships.

Steve McCann, May 12, 2012

Please forward this to all you can, maybe together we can save America for ourselves and those who will follow after us

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I would only add, if we (the American public) accidentally overheard this President telling Russian President Putin that he would have a lot more flexibility after the election, how many other “deals” has Obama made with those who would seek to destroy our freedoms and the American way of life? Now is a time for choosing. “We The People” of this great nation must stand against the tyranny that Abraham Lincoln warned us about 150 years ago. He said  “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

 

As an American…

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I received a letter recently from a young, black, conservative physician named Dr. Robin Armstrong. He was recently elected to the Republican National Committee from Texas and is obviously a supporter of the Romney/Ryan ticket. However, the specific points he made in his letter were more than just the usual partisan politics; they were a plea to all Americans to come to our collective senses and change the direction of our nation. Dr. Armstrong said,

“As a proud American, I am offended that Barack Obama has attacked our institutions that have made our nation great!

As a Texan, I am angry that Barack Obama has abused his executive authority to attack our voter ID laws, and to attack the oil and gas industry with radical environmental restrictions and regulations!

As a Christian, I am disappointed this president has abused his office to impose his will and his values on religious institutions despite the clear violation of the First Amendment!

As a Conservative, I am offended this president considers me his enemy and a greater danger to our nation than radical Islamists!

As an African American, I am saddened this president’s policies have expanded the welfare state, skyrocketed the black unemployment rate to 14.4%, and further isolated our community!

As a Physician, I am frightened by Barack Obama’s unconstitutional assault on the healthcare industry, which will lead to bankruptcies in both government budgets and healthcare quality!

As a Taxpayer, I am angry this president wants to raise my taxes even further because he thinks I do not pay my fair share!

President Obama has stated he wants to fundamentally change our nation.  He is well on his way and he must be stopped!”

There is really nothing to add to Dr. Armstrong’s arguments except to say, as each of us is awakened to the fact that our freedoms and our very way of life are being stolen from us, and our posterity, it is our duty and our moral obligation to do whatever we can to arouse those around us before our current American Nightmare becomes the new and permanent American Reality.

Make no mistake, Barack Obama is a Marxist, socialist and should he win re-election, even if he loses Democrat control of the Senate, he will continue to seize more and more power through executive orders.

We were warned about the process we are now witnessing by none other than Abraham Lincoln when he said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

 

Is It Really About Healthcare?

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If you’ll recall, two years ago this past spring we were all watching the activities of our Congress with a great deal of anxiety. The healthcare reform process exposed the truly seedy side of the political gaming that goes on in Washington everyday, to one degree or another. But in this instance the eyes of the American public were a bit more focused than usual, and no matter which side you favored, the backroom deals and strong arm tactics had to make you more than a little uncomfortable with the way power was being wielded. What we saw was anything but representative of the will of the people.

In the end, both the House and Senate passed the President’s healthcare reform strictly along party lines, with votes being cast by elected representatives who freely admitted they had not even read the bill. So now, in the wake of all that, the question we should be asking ourselves is why? Why is controlling or overseeing individual’s personal healthcare such a big deal to this current administration and their minions in the Congress? The answer is actually very simple and it has absolutely nothing to do with ensuring the public health or the citizens’ wellbeing; its all about Power and Money.

For elitists who aspire to power, often based on their perceived superior intellect, the easiest way to achieve it is to first convince the masses that they require the government’s help to meet a specific need. The success of this philosophy relies heavily on a combination of fear and protection; something right up this Chicago gang’s alley. We’ve all heard the statement, “never let a crisis go to waste” and the reason is that public fear is a natural product of any crisis. But, if fear doesn’t actually exist, then you can create it using anecdotes and hyperbole. Once fear is well established the power-seekers can step in and offer protection and security in the form of a magnanimous government solution.

So, why start with healthcare? Simple, it is far easier to create a sense of fear over an emotionally charged issue like breast cancer or the sudden severe injury of a child than it is for any of the “necessities of life” like housing, food, clothing or virtually anything else we use or depend on everyday. It’s natural to be concerned and even a bit anxious over the potential impact of an unexpected illness or injury and all it takes to turn that anxiety into a full-blown crisis-level fear, which demands a government solution, is the injection of the final element – money, or the potential loss of it.

Clearly, government control of healthcare has been a goal of “progressives” in this country for more than a hundred years. When the liberal factions of the Democrat party gained control of both houses of Congress and the Presidency in 2008 their long awaited opportunity finally presented itself. They were quick to point to private insurance companies as being guilty of raising premiums and reducing coverage at the expense of the consumer, and on that score they were correct. “Reform” became their rallying cry without specific mention as to what exactly needed reform. Change for the sake of change alone was considered by many to be reason enough to overturn what has been the best healthcare system in the world. After all, “this is a Crisis!”

While the subsequent developments have been very upsetting to those of us in medicine who have dedicated our lives to providing that care, it should be truly frightening to every American based on where it will most certainly lead. Using the time-tested approach of “fear and protection” our increasingly dependent society appears to be ripe for the progressive destruction of all personal freedoms and individual liberties by our leaders drunk on Power and Money. Their newest target – entrepreneurs and small business owners who in the words of President Obama, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” Obviously, healthcare reform was simply the first step toward “fundamentally changing America.”

Thomas Jefferson has been widely quoted in recent years on a number of issues, but in one of his somewhat less famous writings he said to Edward Carrington in Paris, May 27, 1788, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.”   I pray to God it isn’t so.

 

The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any organization or group. please feel free to review other posts on www.spiritofhealthcare.com and check out my clinical site at www.robertsewellmd.com

WINNING !!!

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Oh! Say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave?

Over the last few days I’ve written a couple of impassioned healthcare related pieces and have received some very positive feedback, which I appreciate very much. But, sitting here at the computer today it suddenly hit me; I’m sick and tired of being on the losing side of all that is going on in America, and I don’t just mean healthcare. Like everyone else, I want to be on the winning side. After thinking about it for a bit, it’s clear that there are only two options available, assuming you want to be a winner. Either you join the side that appears to be winning already, or do whatever it takes to make your side the winner.

When it comes to politics I have been solidly right of center my entire life, but it seems the left has been winning most of the battles for the last several decades. And like I said, I’m tired of losing. The option of joining the left would mean I’d need to embrace the concept of big brother having oversight and control over virtually all aspects of people’s lives. I guess I could live with that idea for everybody else, but not for me, or my family. I’d also need to be willing to tell people who trust me whatever they want to hear, even if I know it isn’t true. Perhaps that would also be okay as long as no one was harmed in the process. Obviously I’d have to sacrifice my integrity. I’d also need to learn how to look the other way whenever a colleague or a friend fails to do their job then blames their failure on someone else. Even if one of my teammates committed a crime I would have to be willing to just stay silent. That might be okay as long as the victim wasn’t someone I know. Actually, I suppose I’d need to learn how to rationalize that kind of behavior by making every situation seem like someone else is at fault. All of this would be acceptable I guess, as long as no one found out, right? If I could do these things I’m sure I could fit right in with the winning team of enlightened liberals.

My other choice would be to do the things my dad taught me as a boy. I would have to accept responsibility for what I’ve done and what I haven’t done thus far, and how I may have contributed to our current state of affairs. I would have to recognize that like many others I haven’t always stood up for what I knew was right. I’ve sometimes been slow to speak out with conviction against things that I knew were wrong, like lying and cheating. I would need to recognize the hard-work of others and do whatever I could to ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to succeed or fail, based on their own work ethic and effort. I certainly could do more to offer charity to those individuals around me who are truly in need, given the abundant blessings I’ve received. I could also do more to teach my children the values that my dad taught me to help ensure they aren’t lost forever. Perhaps most importantly, I would need to be more active in fighting against the general ignorance of history among those who have been easily drawn into the clutches of the side that currently appears to be winning.

The easy choice is obvious, just join those who are celebrating victory after victory today. They will gladly embrace anyone who thinks and acts the way they do. But the question that lingers before deciding is, are they going to be the winning side in the end? After all, that’s what really matters once all is said and done.

So before declaring which side to choose it is critical to define what we mean when we say someone is a winner. It isn’t how much money you accumulate, what you do for a living, where you live or even how many people depend on you everyday. For me the answer is much simpler. Being a winner means being able to say without hesitation that you did the right thing, not just when it was easy, but especially when things seem to be going hard against you. This is a difficult measuring stick because it requires courage, stamina, conviction and most of all a passionate heart.

Today, our nation, the greatest, most honorable, most prosperous and most free in the history of mankind, stands on the brink of a disastrous fall. We all know that the direction we are headed is wrong, politically, economically and morally, and will lead to the certain collapse of the cherished way of life our ancestors fought and died to achieve. The challenge we face is obvious but the question remains, will “We the People of the United States of America” recommit ourselves to saving our nation from those who would destroy it? Are we willing to individually take up the task of securing for our children, our grand children and their posterity, the promises offered by our “Land of the Free”? I believe it is still possible to win, but only if we are each willing to once again prove to ourselves and each other that America is indeed the “Home of the Brave.”

If you agree to take up this challenge of winning back our nation, please join me in praying for God to renew his blessing on this country. We need it now more than ever.

A Healthcare Road Less Traveled

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Robert W. Sewell, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Despite the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 to be Constitutional, we continue to find ourselves at a fork in the road. The Republican members of Congress have pledged to repeal the law and start over with a patient centered healthcare reform act. While this sounds promising, the question remains, which way will we go this time? Will we continue to be lured down the path taken by most European countries and our neighbor Canada, where a central government-run system provides cradle to grave care, or will we choose to empower the individual with freedom of choice? It has been this road less traveled which has been and will continue to be the key to American exceptionalism.

Next week we celebrate the two hundred and thirty-sixth anniversary of our founding fathers telling the world that they refused to accept the tyranny of the British crown. They had witnessed the impact of higher taxation, restrictions on opportunity and forced subservience, and when they had endured enough they rebelled. They rightfully concluded that they were better off pursuing a course based on individual freedom and they set this country down the freedom road that has lead to unparalleled prosperity. It hasn’t been easy and there have been many bumps along the way, but there is no doubt it was the right choice then, and it is still the right choice today. The choice is between liberty and servitude, personal freedom and government mandates. So why is it that so many argue vehemently for a government run system? It all revolves around the concept of responsibility.

Since the beginning of civilization the “common man” has been typically subjected to the rule of kings, czars, emperors, dictators and various other demigods, sometimes willingly but often under threat of force. Frequently, aristocratic rulers declared themselves to be appointed by, or in some instances actually descendants of God, as a means of legitimizing their control over the sea of commoners. The masses accepted this form of centralized, top-down government in part because someone else assumed responsibility for many of the tough choices in life. Only when a ruler grossly exceeded the unwritten laws of human decency would the people rise up in protest. But, historically another ruler would invariably step forward to fill the void. It seems people must be reminded over and over again that “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Lord Acton)

The alternative offered by the Great American Experiment has been individuals possessing the ability to exercise their own free will and accept responsibility for their own successes and failures. In a totally free society there isn’t a “higher power”  waiting to bail-out the person who either makes poor choices or is simply unlucky. It is understood that there will always be winners and losers in a true “survival of the fittest” system. But man is no longer trying to simply survive on the planes of Africa. Our collective conscience compels us to adjust our social framework to one that provides a safety-net for those who are either born into poverty or have fallen on hard-times through no fault of their own. Herein lies the greatest challenge to any group of free individuals. On the one extreme, with total freedom you have “losers” who suffer while “winners” enjoy the opulence and privilege of the “elite”.  On the other extreme you have a society where there are no winners or losers because the incentives that encourage personal achievement are destroyed by a collective philosophy. It is the state that ultimately decides how much individual success is allowed, “just to make it fair.” This is the basic premise behind socialism and communism.

Nowhere in modern civilization is this argument more prominent than in our evolving system of healthcare. Obviously, no one wants to see a child or an elderly person, or anyone for that matter, go without needed medical attention, but in our efforts to ensure against the socially unacceptable, we risk over-reaching, as we gradually come to accept the idea that no one should have to be responsible for themselves. Gradually, we have either turned over responsibility for our individual healthcare to a corporate insurance entity that offers some version of A-Z healthcare or accepted the idea that a government controlled system is the best model. In doing so we have lost control of the most important personal service any of us ever receives. We have in essence relinquished our personal responsibility in exchange for a sense of security, which rests in the hands of either corporate moguls or government bureaucrats. Benjamin Franklin summarized this dilemma when he wrote “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Certainly there are those for whom choices are limited and some form of government sponsored healthcare may provide the only option. Even for the majority who have the means and desire to choose for themselves, the options have become limited by those who benefit either financially or politically from maintaining control. The current mantra of both the insurance industry and the government is that healthcare is too expensive and therefore must be taken over by wiser and more responsible people, (i.e.) them, because they know what is best for us and have the resources to deal with the inequities of the system. It is to that assertion we must collectively say no thank you. After all, where do the resources come from, which they use to manipulate the system?

For the majority of Americans the best solution would be a free and open market where the cost and availability are determined not by an arbitrary government panel or an insurance contract, but by the basic laws of supply and demand. This can be accomplished by expanding on the idea of individual empowerment. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) that are independent from employer based insurance is an idea whose time has come. People will become true consumers of healthcare only when they are making decisions about how to spend their own resources. Obviously, this only works if it is coupled with catastrophic insurance for major costs that are beyond the average individual’s capability, but isn’t that what insurance is for? There must also be competition in the marketplace. Anyone should be allowed to buy insurance from any entity, not just those who operate within the boundaries of the state where they currently reside. Both the catastrophic insurance and HSA should be totally portable and remain with the individual and his or her estate.

Our current system of healthcare financing does not empower the individual, in large part because of our current tax law. The vast majority of health insurance policies in this country are employer based. The employer provides health insurance as a benefit to employees and their dependents, and then writes off the premium as a business expense. Individuals who purchase their own health insurance are penalized twice. They are unable to benefit from “bulk rate” discounts that larger employers enjoy, and they cannot write off the cost of their insurance on their personal tax returns. This is blatantly unfair, and correcting this inequity should be a major part of any new healthcare reform act, and it should be part of the foundation of the promised Federal tax reform next year.

Currently, the American healthcare system is anything but a free market, and as a result prices are high, quality is in decline and availability is threatened for all. The solution will not be easy because it will require a return to the fundamental principle so eloquently stated by Eleanor Roosevelt when she said, “With Freedom Comes Responsibility.”  Now is the time, in the wake of this historic decision by the highest court in the land, for all free men and women of this nation to renew our commitment to being worthy of our heritage. We must raise our collective voices and demand our individual freedoms be restored, lest we will all eventually become wards of the state; the very thing our forefathers rebelled against.

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The opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect or represent the policies or opinions of any medical organization or group.

Check out my web site at www.robertsewellmd.com

Can Golf Save America?

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We live in an age where professional sports seem to dominate much of our social landscape. Currently the Major League Baseball season is well underway and the NBA and NHL playoffs are nearing their climax. NFL teams are conducting off-season Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and it won’t be long before those guys report to training camp. There are numerous contrasts between these sports and the guys who play them and another sport, golf. Here are just a few obvious differences.

  1. All team sports require everyone to work together to achieve a common goal, while golf is essentially an individual sport; the Ryder Cup and President’s Cup being the only notable exceptions.
  2. Team sports involve competition between teams on a precisely defined field, rink or court, while golf competitions have individual players competing against a course that offers infinite variations.
  3. Virtually all team sports include some degree of physical contact between the competitors (not as much in baseball as the others), while the only contact between competitors in golf is a handshake or the occasional pat on the back.
  4. The tone of conversation between team sport competitors is typically described as “trash talk” with the goal being intimidation or distraction, while such confrontational communications are considered inappropriate between professional golfers.
  5. The spectators at team sporting events attempt to impact the outcome of the game by cheering, booing or heckling the players during the course of play, while golfers enjoy respectful silence during their actual play and good shots are universally applauded, no matter who makes them.

Perhaps the most striking difference between our beloved team sports and the game of golf rests in how they are administered. In football there are 22 players on the field at any given time, and 7 officials, not including the guy in the replay booth. In basketball there are 10 players and three officials. In hockey there are 12 players and 4 officials. In baseball there is a maximum of 13 players on the field at any given time, with 4 umpires, unless its the playoffs when there are 6 umpires. In each instance there is one official for about every three players. Their job is to control the play by enforcing the rules, often based on what one can only hope are independent and unbiased judgements. Needless to say the officials are often targeted by angry players and fans of losing teams as the reason for their lack of success. But, without these officials the games simply could not be played. Can you imagine Kobe Bryant or LeBron James ever calling a foul on themselves during a crucial playoff game. Is it likely that any tight end would ever agree that he was holding the opposing defensive end. Hockey without officials and the “sin bin” would be nothing more than a brawl on ice. Oh wait! Bad example. Hockey already is a brawl on ice. Perhaps that’s why some people love it the most.

Golf, on the other hand, is described as a gentleman’s game. It isn’t that there aren’t any rules, quite the contrary. The rules of golf are as numerous and as penal as those of any other sport, and every tournament employs numerous officials who oversee the conduct of the competition. But golf officials are, by and large, simply available to the players to assist them in interpreting the rules. With very few exceptions the officials stay behind the scenes while the players police themselves. It is far more common for a player to willingly call a penalty on himself than it is to have an official step forward with an unsolicited adverse ruling. The rules of golf actually call for competitors to assist each other in making rulings during the course of play, and this universally takes place in a cordial and often collegial manner.

Participating in a team sport is often encouraged for children as a means of teaching them life lessons, such as working together and recognizing, understanding and playing within a set of rules. All children naturally tend to rebel against the rules, so the responsible parent, just like the official in a team sport, must step in with some form of discipline when the rules are violated. Over time the goal of parenting is to encourage each child to assume responsibility for their own actions, with the reward being the freedom to make their own independent decisions as adults.

Sadly, many of today’s team sport professionals appear to have never learned these basic lessons. They seem to have little respect for the officials, their opponents or the fans. Their behavior can only be described as that of a undisciplined teenagers or the growing group of “occupy” participants. When these truly incredible athletes prance around beating their chests, whine about every foul called against them or in some instances act like common backstreet thugs, they are distracting from both their talent and their game.

I find it very interesting how many professional athletes eventually gravitate toward golf as their preferred leisure activity. Perhaps it’s because they see golf as an opportunity to compete as an individual. They are not reliant on a teammate to pass them the ball or drive them in from second base. But I think it also has something to do with a desire to escape the constant oversight of third party officials, much the way the teenager wants their freedom and independence from their parents’ oppressive control.

If you have been watching professional golf on television lately you no doubt have seen the promotions for “The First Tee”, a program of the World Golf Foundation, which is supported by the PGA, the LPGA, the USGA, numerous corporations and other organizations. Their mission is “To impact the lives of young people by providing educational opportunities that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.” Their stated goal is to get 10 million more kids introduced to the game of golf and all that goes with it. Watching “The First Tee” ads during the recent telecast of the Masters golf tournament reminded me of an old saying taught to me by my father when I was growing up. He said, “If you want to know the true character of a man, get him on the golf course.”

The nine core values that “The First Tee” teaches through golf include: Honesty, Integrity, Perseverance, Sportsmanship, Judgement, Responsibility, Courtesy, Confidence and Respect. These are indeed the characteristics that every adult should embrace, and ones that all our children should be taught. It’s a shame that many of our highly visible athletes who, like it or not, serve as “role models” for America’s youth often demonstrate quite the opposite through their own behavior. But, hopefully through the efforts of programs like “The First Tee” and the clear example of earned personal freedom based on the assumption of individual responsibility embodied in the game of golf, the next generation of Americans can escape the growing trend toward childlike dependence.

Obama: A Modern Day Roman Plebeian Tyrant

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My friend Frank Rosenbloom, MD wrote this piece for “The American Thinker” and I believe it should be read by every freedom loving American. Actually it should be a mandatory part of the public school curriculum, but it isn’t and won’t be anytime soon. Please enjoy:
Obama: A Modern Day Roman Plebeian Tyrant