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Republicans fought Obama, now want cooperation; Jayne Berresford; Beaver County Times; January 10, 2017.
This appears to be the seventh letter from Ms. Berresford (JB). Previous Berresford letters I critiqued were entitled “Latest letters prompt response from reader,” “How is Trump a step in the right direction,” “Repairs take time,” “Congress doesn’t have nation’s best interest” and “Help, don’t hinder.” The previous letters I didn’t critique were entitled “Birth control not important issue” and “‘Our employees’ should live like us.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Happy new year, everyone. That said, I’m afraid I have an old question, or maybe two or three questions.
“For starters, why haven’t we seen Donald Trump’s taxes yet? What could he possibly be hiding still? Could it be that he owes other countries vast amounts of money? Is it because he has several businesses in other countries? Does he plan to put taxes on the products he and his family bring into our country?”
[RWC] I don’t know if it’s a good reason or not, but Donald Trump (DT) has always asserted his returns were under IRS audit and he could not release them until the IRS completed the audit.
“Is he ever going to work with American intelligence or remain on the Russian agenda for four long years?”
[RWC] Seriously?
“I also find it interesting to hear Republicans saying we need to work together after eight years of no way. Wouldn’t it have been nice if they had even attempted to work to make health care better for the people in this country? We would be a lot better off in many ways had they tried in any way at all to get along with President Obama.”
[RWC] We have multiple political parties because we have different visions of how government should operate. Democrat leadership believes government should be all-controlling, as we see/saw with Cuba, the USSR, and so on. Conservatives believe in limited government to maximize individual freedom. There’s not a lot of common ground when one side wants complete government control of medical care and the other side sees no role for government in this area as per the Constitution.
You won’t hear me say “we need to work together” until lefties admit leftism is a lie. I have no intent of supporting programs that reduce our individual liberty just so someone can say we “worked together.”
Would JB be happy if Democrats dropped their ideological beliefs in order “to work together” with Republicans?
“Why are Republicans so against people who really need health care being able to get it? I believe members of Congress should loose [sic] their health care and have to shop and pay for their own policies like the rest of us, instead of taxpayers footing the bill.”
[RWC] “Republicans [are] against people who really need health care?” JB knows her assertion is false and ridiculous, but demonizing the opposition is easier than actually debating the issue. I want everyone to get the medical attention they need. Where conservatives and leftists differ is how best to deliver on that goal.
Leftists want a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly (aka “single-payer,” “universal care system,” and so on).
In contrast, I believe a free market represents the best approach to providing the best combination of healthcare accessibility, choice, price, quality, timeliness of treatment, et cetera. I also believe citizens cannot be dependent on their government for medical needs and remain free. That’s exactly the kind of thing the Founders tried to avoid when they granted the federal government limited responsibilities. To make sure their intent was not misunderstood, the Founders added the Ninth and 10th amendments. Despite the Supreme Court’s rulings (here and here) to the contrary, Obamacare is unconstitutional.
Let’s get personal. Effective January 1st, my medical insurance premium increased 57%, continuing an ugly trend. Even though I monkeyed with co-pays, deductibles, and so on to cut benefits, and hopefully my premium, my medical insurance premium has increased 283% since Obamacare was signed into law in 2010. Why? All Obamacare-compliant policies must provide the same 10 “essential health benefits” even if you don’t want some of those benefits or a benefit isn’t relevant for you. For example, all Obamacare “plans must offer pediatric dental and vision care for children 18 and under,” even if you have no children. As a guy, I’m relatively sure I won’t be filing claims related to childbirth. Regardless, my policy requires me to pay for these benefits plus others I’ll never use, subsidizing other policyholders and driving up my premium. Let’s remember mandatory coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Coverage for a pre-existing condition is not insurance; it’s a handout. It’s like buying a homeowner’s policy after your house burns down and expecting the insurer to pay for a new house.
No approach – either private or public – is perfect and some people won’t be able to afford healthcare or healthcare insurance no matter how inexpensive it is. Do I believe people who need help because of unforeseen circumstances should get it? Of course, but via private charities funded by voluntary contributions. Please read my healthcare paper for more details.
Since Congress passed Obamacare without a single Republican vote, JB should ask Democrats why they didn’t implement her suggestion.
“If anyone out there can answer these questions without sounding like they would like to rip the beating heart from my chest, please do so. Have a great year!”
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