First off, thank you for a very well written and c...

2009-08-21T14:51:14.714-04:00

First off, thank you for a very well written and clear post. While I disagree with your point of view, I appreciate it none the less. That being said, there are plenty of things here that I don't see / agree with the logic of.

1. Using force to effect change: Most social change movements in the US, while perhaps begun with peaceful grass-roots initiatives, were eventually taken on and legislated by the government. The abolishment of slavery and later Jim Crow laws, women's suffrage, and integration into schools are a few examples of where until the government forced the change, it simply would not happen.

2. The responsibility of the people: While I concur that you and I should be the ones helping our fellow man and woman, that simply isn't the case. At least not where I live. Our society is ingrained with a 'not my problem' mentality. Also, while I can't speak for you, I know that I don't have the means in which to help my neighbor with something like chemotherapy or any other serious medical condition.

3. Imposition of a moral code: Any law that governs some sort of morality is doing just that. An argument could be made that current marriage laws that restrict homosexual's right to marriage is imposing a conservative viewpoint, while at the same time allowing homosexuals to marry would be imposing a progressive viewpoint. Two sides of the same coin. Pick your topic: prayer in schools, gun laws, capital punishment, military spending / actions, etc. They all fall on some side of a moral argument. So it is impossible to avoid that.

4. Your recent experience with government subsidized care: I certainly can't argue with your particular experience. However, I can argue that it isn't indicative one way or the other. I myself also have government funded health care by the state of Florida, due to my wife's employment as a prosecutor. The plan is almost identical to my previous private plan. In fact, its a bit better, as my prescription costs are a little lower. As as for Medicare, I've also dealt with it quite a few times. But so has my father, who is a Chaplin at a local senior assisted living home. He deals with many folks who are on Medicare, and they receive the same exact treatment there as those who are paying on their own.

At the end of the day, we already subsidize a large number of our population. I don't see why we say it's a good idea for these folks, but bad for everyone else.

Comments on Quiet the Thunder: Where I Stand on the Health Care Debate and Why

First off, thank you for a very well written and c...