Left And Right Politics

With all the talk about getting the health care bill passed last year and Nancy Pelosi’s quote of “we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it.”, we’re finding out more and more about what’s in it and it’s a complete mess of a bill.

The latest to come out about the bill is the news of nearly all health insurance plans may soon be required to offer women patients free coverage of prescription birth control, breast-pump rentals, counseling for domestic violence, and annual wellness exams and HIV tests. In the health care bill that was passed last year, the law directs the Obama Administration to draw up a list of preventive services for women that will require all new health plans will cover without any deductibles or even co-payments. All this is by the year long review requested by Kathleen Sebilius, Health and Human Services Secretary.

In a statement, Sebelius praised the committee’s work as “historic” and “based on science and existing literature.” she continued, “We are reviewing the report closely and will release the department’s recommendations … very soon.”

While I believe in personal freedoms, I also believe in personal responsibility. If someone wants to be sexually active while not trying to get pregnant, it’s is their responsibility to pony up for the expenses for that activity. How is it that the federal government feels that it has the right to force private industries to pay the costs for the decision for someone else? As we seen in the past, this decision by the Obama Administration will only affect other people who pay for health care and if the federal government is going to subsidize the program. Why is it the responsibility for the American tax payer to foot the bill?

It’s estimated that 41 million Americans are in “new” plans that these rules will apply, along with 98 million other people are “grandfathered” in policies exempt from the rules. Those “grandfathered” will lose that status if they make a host of changes to their coverage and/or payment policies. It’s expected that the number will increase to nearly 47 million more American will be under the new rules. Insurers will need to follow the new guidelines at the start of the next plan year within one year after Sebelius issues them.

As we see as time goes on and we have the opportunity to dissect the bill, we see the federal government’s purpose is to control the industry as they have done to so many other ones (auto, banking, etc.). Either way you look at it, there is no reason for the federal government to be involved in any industry no less the medical industry.

Recently, I received a comment from one our many readers and wanted to address a few of this person’s points. The reader Eric, had some choice words after we posted a link to vote in a political poll. The poll was from 2009, but it seems it took Eric a little longer to find it. He commented on June 29, 2011.

Eric’s first sentence in the comment went like this,

All you people do is whine and throw around unguided, random superstitions and wrong information.

All you people??? Eric, we are all Americans and people who make comments like “all you people” want to keep everyone separated. That kind of thinking has been going on too long and it needs stop so we can move forward in this county. And if you really thought all we did was whine and give wrong information you wouldn’t feel so threatened by us. You would have just blown us off as just another misguided political site.

I’d like to hear you guys provide some ideas on the economy, or maybe the least you could is provide a legitimate point.

I’m not quite sure what Eric was talking about because he posted on a poll that is not even open anymore. If “you guys” was directed at Libertarians, then Ron Paul and Alexander Snitker, among other Libertarian minded candidates, had some great ideas, but it fell on deaf ears because these men (especially Mr. Snitker) weren’t taken seriously and given a fair shake in debates. If “you guys” was directed at this site, then your comment proved that you were only here to throw around a few insults because if you would have taken time to actually read some of the posts here, I have provided my ideas and very legitimate points.

You people are delusional. Maybe you’d be happier with Bush who started two wars (that still need to be paid for, under Obama) and turned a budget surplus into a 9 trillion dollar deficit and passed no considerable legislation that did anything besides allowing the Fed. to tap your phone line and check your emails ( oh yeah and he tortured a lot of people). Ya, he’s a good guy, let’s get someone like him.

Partisan and insulting in the same first sentence. I’m not sure if you took the time to notice Eric, but we’re Libertarians. That means we think the Democrats and the Republicans screwed us. Maybe if you read through the site before commenting, you wouldn’t have come across as so misinformed. Eric had a lot to say in these few sentences, so I will address each one separately.

As for being happier having Bush as president. What are my choices? If it’s a toss up between him and Obama, Yes I would want Bush as president. Let’s be for real though, Bush also didn’t do what he needed to when it came to war. Nearly ten years later and I’m still not sure if he had a right to be in Iraq. As for Afghanistan, we should have never been in there. While we’re on the subject, at least Bush did get Congressional approval before entering into these countries. We are now in Libya thanks to Obama decision after listening to the United Nation and NATO. It’s been over 90 days and there is still no justifiable reason from Obama to be there. How come you didn’t mention that Eric?
Lets talk about Eric’s comment about the $9 trillion surplus. There has not been a surplus in the federal government since at least 1969 when the federal government has spent more each year than it had collected in taxes. The so-called surplus was a numbers game for the Democrats. It was a “projected” surplus if Congress and the next President didn’t change a thing. And we all know the neither of them know how to do that.

As for the Patriot Act (if that’s what Eric was referring to since he didn’t mention it by name), The Patriot Act is totally against the Constitution that it should have never been enacted, never mind being renewed by President Obama in 2011(again Eric fail to mention).

So for Eric’s comment of “Ya, he’s a good guy, let’s get someone like him.” NO, let’s not. This country has been taken so far of course from it’s original intent of being a republic, governed by a set of laws, it’s not funny. We need someone who isn’t entrenched in Washington and the good ‘ol boy way of doing business in the Beltway.

One thing we don’t allow here on LeftAndRightPolitics is insults and attacks towards other readers. We want to promote open conversation and dialogue between readers and our authors, but it must be done with respect and not insulting. If you read the comments in the original post, you will notice another reader mentioned using name calling. The comment with the name calling was removed and I apologize for it getting through in the first place.

In response to one of our readers –

You seriously need to CHECK YOUR FACTS. Im pretty sure it was the democrats who passed the CRA. And the Republican Party of Lincoln is not the same Republican party of today. The South was primarily democratic until Civil Rights. You guys sound poor and uneducated, maybe you should consider supporting democrats who are for making progress and taking care of people who aren’t the top 5%, as opposed to the republicans (apart from Ron Paul) who are for “less-government” (who have not allowed Obama a political inch with anything unless it’s banning abortion) and taking care of their rich friends. The president can’t just wave a wand and make all of your lives perfect. This you’d know if you actually used your brain.

Anyone who says “CHECK YOUR FACTS”, without backing up their own just wants to throw out catch phrases. Here is where I laugh at the two major political parties. Neither one of them are for the American people. The Republicans and the Democrats are in it for themselves and their contributors. That is why we need term limits for all political position. If not this will never change.

This week the Journal of the American Medical Association released an opinion piece in regards to the issue of obese children. Their stance was that putting these children in foster care would be more ethical than obesity surgery. The author of this piece is joining forces with advocates who claim that the government should be allowed to intervene in extreme cases. So, should parents lose custody of the extremely obese child?

Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Harvard-affiliated Children’s Hospital Boston, feels it isn’t the point to blame the parents, but to act in the child’s best interest to get them the help they need for whatever reason the parent can’t provided. I don’t know about many parents feel about this but in my opinion, this would be a clear case of government overreaching their authority.

Ludwig is quoted, “State intervention ideally will support not just the child but the whole family, with the goal of reuniting child and family as soon as possible. That may require instruction on parenting,” Ludwig, along with Lindsey Murtugh who is a lawyer at Harvard’s School of Public Health, wrote this article. “Despite the discomfort posed by state intervention, it may sometimes be necessary to protect a child,” Murtagh said.

While I feel that this is a problem in the United States and is the responsibility of the parents to provide healthy choices for their children, others like bioethicist Art Caplin feel it can be blame on other factors as well. He states, “obese children are victims of advertising, marketing, peer pressure and bullying _ things a parent can’t control.” Caplin continues “If you’re going to change a child’s weight, you’re going to have to change all of them,” Caplan said.
I can see his statement in regards to advertising and marketing, but peer pressure and bullying?

This has gotten out of hand with people who feel that the government needs to be involved in issues that they have no authority to be in. Where does it end? By what “standard” are they going to gauge a child being obese?
What has happened to this country where we remove ourselves from responsibility? Over the last few years, the federal government has been expanding their authority and if this is the next thing where they (government) are to get involved in, where does it stop?

Yes, these days families either have both parents working or consist of a single parent. Being with our children have become less and less as parents struggle to keep their financial lives in order. There are those though that just don’t care what their kids eat, but does that now make it the responsibility of the state? As it is, the government can’t even take care of the issues they are required to handle and now let’s throw in raising obese children. Ultimately this is a personal issue and that’s it. If it falls into child endangerment, child abuse or neglect, that one thing, but this crossing the line.

There are currently nearly two million children in the United States who considered extremely obese. As it is, the foster care system has trouble finding foster homes for the kids that need it. How would the system improve with adding obese children into the mix?

On July 4, 2011 America will be celebrating 235 years of independence from England. It’s a day that has a lot of meaning to patriotic Americans. I love this country and what the founding fathers laid out to keep control of the government. When the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written, the words and structure of the sentences were taken into serious consideration. America wanted their independence from the heavy hand of government. Looking back, we can see they did a great job in doing so.

So again July 4th is upon us once again for us to remember the huge risk our founding fathers took taken that stance. Many of the men who signed those documents were searched out over the remaining part of their lives for treason. For that reason alone, we should take the day to remember the sacrifices they made for themselves and the rest of the colonies.

Instead, whenever the holiday comes around each year, it seems that many people talk about what a great weekend they’re going to have at some event or BBQ. Why is it that too many people don’t take the time to think of what our fore fathers have put together, to form the greatest country this era has ever seen. After only 150 years of this country’s existence, we became one of the super powers (if not the biggest) of this planet. It’s great that we, as Americans, have the freedom to celebrate the fourth of July in whatever capacity we want. In this country, if we want to celebrate by having a BBQ and drinking with friends and family or decide to go to church or even a NASCAR event, we have the freedom to do so.
In so many countries, their citizens don’t have the freedom to do the things we take for granted.

This year I will do what I do every year. I will take the time throughout the day to remember Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock and the rest of the fifty six men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776