Senator Sam Brownback
Senator Pat Roberts
As a concerned citizen of the state of Kansas and the United States, I am horrified by the US Senate’s proposed health care legislation. I cannot fully define all of the problems that I believe are built into this legislative leviathan. But here are some of my major challenges:
1. This bill supports the creation of a federal bureaucracy in the health care sector of our economy. And while I do favor ensuring that US citizens are never w/o catastrophic health care, I cannot support any plan that expands government control of the health care industry. There are several reasons for my concerns:
a) I have read the Constitution many times. And the 10th Amendment is clear: the federal government has no powers that are not specifically articulated in the Constitution itself. And I see no clauses in the Constitution that empower the federal government to ever regulate the health care industry. And while I do recognize the Supreme Court’s authority to interpret the Constitution, where can they find such powers? In a mythical penumbra of powers given Congress in the commerce clauses? This is an absurd exaggeration of what our Founding Fathers intended.
b) Apart from defense spending, the government does not have any kind of a proven track-record in these areas. At the same time, the government has proven to be a sub-optimal player in health care (witness the VA and Medicare).
2. This bill will further exacerbate an already uncontrollable (and fiscally irresponsible) expansion of the national debt. I know I can’t afford to pay more taxes – unless I stop buying anything but essentials. Of course, such reductions in spending will only further deflate the economy. Worse still, this bill will imperil the future of my four children and my one grandchild. Finally, it is positively obscene that this bill would collect taxes for years even before a single penny is spent for currently uninsured citizens. Is this because the program is not self-funding? And if it isn’t, what happens in the second decade when there isn’t any surplus remaining?
3. While the current bill has not been finalized, there is no way that we should consider extending health care to people that are here illegally. I support relaxed immigration. But I can’t understand why we want to spend tens (if not hundreds) of billions of dollars to provide health care to criminals who violate our laws. The utter hypocrisy of such a situation is unfathomable.
4. I am horrified that even one penny of my income would ever go to fund the unconscionable murder of unborn children. I won’t belabor a thoroughly noxious debate. But I cannot imagine the government forcibly taking my income to kill innocent children. By not supporting the funding restrictions of the House bill (i.e., the Stupak amendment), you will be forcing me to commit what I believe is murder. This is a fundamental change to our system of compassionate governance.
With these and many more things in mind, I urge you to vote against even considering this piece of legislation. From my perspective, such a step would vacate our claim that we are a nation founded upon the motto “In God We Trust.”
Sincerely
Lorin Olsen