I have become fairly concerned about the directions both sides of our so called political leadership appear to be taking us. The two directions are big government and religious monoculture.
Big is bad. Governement, Business, etc. There is a role for government and we as the people should have a say in what that role is. We cannot continue to out spend our revenues, so we need to freeze our spending and raise our collection and cut down our deficit. I do not understand how come we cannot fix this fundamental problem beyond just cutting taxes. We need our leaders to lead or we need to vote them out of town. I do not think that we need a socialistic society to serve the needs of our people. Free market drives much of our prosperity and innovation. However, I am glad to see someone trying to fix the healthcare problem. The costs on healthcare are going to grow very large probably to the point where the market will not want to be in the medical business. So, what do we do then?, what can we do now to help that shift now before it is an inevitable problem? I like the idea of healthcare exchanges. I think shifting healthcare away from an employment benefit will greatly increase the market effects of consumer decisions and ability to get the care desired. There is a moral issue that will need to be decided, who gets what treatment? Is it fair that a wealthy person has access and ability to pay for the best treatment? Is it fair for the wealthy to pay more for treatments because they are able? Is it fair for a poor individual to receive more treatment then they can afford? If all people have access to all possible treatments at no cost to them this will cause increased cost to the overall system and longer wait times for those services because there will be more people accessing the system that they wouldn’t have been able to afford.
Another area that I just don’t understand are those who say government impedes our freedoms as an individual and in nearly the same breath claim this country to have Christian views in which all decisions should be made. Here in Minnesota we are having an amendment on our ballot this fall that shall declare a marriage is only between a man and a woman to be entered into our state constitution even though it is already a law. I believe this is a direct attack against freedoms of those who are not of this view which is very religiously motivated. I think religions do have the right to determine who can be “married” but that is left to that particular religious establishment not our government. Within our laws we have some 1,000+ mentions of marriage and rights in which people who are married benefit from. I do not believe we as the people should deny the benefits to a couple who have devoted themselves to each other just because our personal religious view disagrees that the relationship is not a marriage. Those couples are entitled to the same rights as my wife and I are. Another couples relationship or other has no effect on my marriage relationship or our relationship with God. I heard a quote recently that I really like but do not know who it is from. Paraphrased “the freedom for all in this country is greater than all the freedoms with which one individual wish to grant themselves.”
I do hope we can come together as a united people and make decisions for the betterment of all humanity.