Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. What does it mean to you? How does that phrase impact our nation?
Some people have expressed the feeling that certain “privileges” enjoyed in our country should be removed. These people believe that people should provide these benefits for themselves. They seek a “smaller government” philosophy in their reasoning for cutting these programs. Some have even said that continuing these programs is “enslaving” some Americans. They also say that it makes people dependent instead of independent.
I can see the benefits of smaller government and less involvement in our personal lives. Oddly enough, so many that support smaller government also want to abolition abortion and prevent gays from getting married. Seems they don’t think the smaller government idealism carries over to these personal and private choices, but they feel it carries over to the very public issue of healthcare, and even some education. I want smaller government idealism to exist in those very private and personal affairs.
The people who consider Medicare and Medicaid to be enslaving seem to be of the opinion that it forces doctors to adhere to the rules of that program, that it somehow deters them from being profitable. I suppose there are limitations on healthcare costs and perhaps they receive less from those patients than others. However, I am fairly certain that it is their choice to accept those patients and that insurance. It doesn’t seem like slavery to me, seems like a choice, maybe not their desired choice, but a choice nonetheless.
There are those that feel it hinders people from being independent and thriving from the results of their own efforts and growth. This they also refer to as enslaving as it appears these people get trapped in this way of life. I can see those points. It is certainly always better to empower than to enable. We all remember the woes over the welfare system and public housing.
Others feel like those that are receiving the benefit of these programs are living off others or are getting something for nothing, they call them free loaders. I can certainly see where people who are not currently benefitting and do not foresee that they will use these programs resent having that money taken out of their income in the form of taxes. However, the people who receive those benefits also had that money taken out of their income in the form of taxes, so they simply cannot be referred to as free loaders. You have to pay into the program to receive benefits from the program.
Now, I get to the point where I want to predict what I perceive to be the result of ending these programs. I sympathize with those in opposition; however, I cannot rid myself of the responsibility of contemplating the effect on our society as a whole if these people were to prevail with their plans.
So, this is my perception of the effects of removing Medicare and Medicaid and other funding to other health care organizations, such as Planned Parenthood. The recipients are on these programs because they do not have money to seek medical help independently of these programs. Naturally, then if they no longer can receive them, this means they will no longer be able to seek medical care. Some of you may callously think you don’t care, because it’s not your problem, it’s theirs.
I offer for you a different perspective. Perhaps it would become your problem and it very well may affect your quality and comfort of life. Already you likely wish to scoff me for even suggesting this, until maybe you look at it differently.
What happens to people who cannot seek medical care? They are not likely to just miraculously recover. This can have many different outcomes. They can become disabled due to illness or physical complications. This removes them from the work force. Still don’t care? They can become homeless. They become an entirely different issue that encumbers your life. What if they contracted a contagious disease? Then you will be exposed to that yourself, by nature of their circumstances. What would your town or city be like if the number of homeless went up a considerable amount? Have you ever been in a metropolis with a large number of homeless people? Ever seen the effects it has on the appearance of the city? Ever thought about the repercussions of lots of public sewage on the streets? No, it’s not pleasant, but it is a necessary consideration. These kinds of conditions lead to rampant spread of disease.
These programs allow people to get vaccinations who would not be able to afford them otherwise. Just imagine an epidemic of small pox, measles or rubella all over again. They allow people of means of contraceptives, testing for AIDS and testing for other STDs and the treatments for such. Take these programs away and again, rampant spread of disease. Surely you don’t imagine people will just stop having sex because these programs are gone.
So the world I see without these programs is a society that has broken down in terms of civilized living conditions. I see cities full of homeless diseased people. I see cities under a blanket of filth and squatters in abandoned buildings. I smell the foulness of their stench just thinking about it.
What I also see is detriment to our economy. You may think it would only affect those that would find themselves in such a deplorable state. However, these people will not be able to afford healthcare. There will be millions of people now not going to the doctor. These doctors will have less patients. Less patients means less staff. Now we have left millions of others in poverty due to a lesser demand because we have removed their supply for their jobs. So, now we have increased homelessness and unemployment with one fatal cut.
I see prosperity and health flying out of the window.
So, my view of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is that we are all part of this society and so we bear responsibility to contribute to everyone’s Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness in order to maintain ours. If you take away medical care for one person, you very well may have robbed them of their life, have certainly diminished their liberty and have squelched their happiness, but the trickle-down effect is that you have encroached upon your own as well.
Rather than just demolish the program, redesign the program.
2011 Written, copyright and contributed by S. Lynne Horton
