Health Care
The Left believes universal healthcare is a right. They support President Obama's passage of the Affordable Care Act (PPACA), aka ObamaCare. The middle are afraid of ObamaCare because they don't know what's in it, it means more taxation and higher federal debt, but they are equally afraid of skyrocketing healthcare costs. The Right believes that healthcare is an individual choice just like buying a home and the individual should control their personal healthcare decisions. Therefore, the Right believes PPACA (ObamaCare) is a misguided attempt at Socialism and should be repealed. The Right also believes the US cannot afford such a program when other countries are trying to relieve themselves of their previously instituted universal healthcare programs, and, under its current design more people will just opt out so it does not help access. Because ObamaCare is a federal program, costs will certainly rise in the form of both taxes to pay for it and the services it provides. The individual mandate was believed to violate the Constitution, but on June 28, 2012, SCOTUS issued an opinion which affirmed ObamaCare as a tax and as such was allowable under the Constitution. The fight now returns to the political arena. A very good healthcare blog where you can follow Healthcare and ACA issues can be found here. Below, and in the associated sub-categories, you can follow the arguments on both sides.

A Matter of Priorities

3/2/20
from The Gray Area:
3/2/20:
The House passed the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act, (H.R.2339), by a vote of 213-195 on Friday, designed as Speaker Pelosi said "to address her highest priority, the children." On Tuesday, the Senate failed to pass two bills that would have protected the lives of the unborn, The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act (S. 3275), failed to pass the Senate with a 53-44 vote (60 needed), and The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S.311), also failed to pass the Senate with a 56-44 vote (60 needed). Obviously, some Republicans did not support these bills, and all Democrats rejected them. Three Days later they passed a bill supposedly designed to protect children. I cannot argue with the need to protect children from tobacco, and, therefore, this bill is understandable. The American Heart Association urged House passage of Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act However, I never like government telling its citizens what they can and cannot do. There is a fine line between what is illegal and what is personal choice. If companies are erroneously promoting their products, that's one thing and is obviously illegal. But, if they are not, that's another thing. Then, the answer is not trying to keep every bad thing away from children. That is not possible. The answer is teaching children to make good decisions. This bill does not do that. Instead of teaching, it forcefully tries to eliminate the problem, which it won't, while adding taxes and other regulations which is the hallmark of 21st Century bill government politics. This bill is a 'messaging bill'. Messaging bills' have included so far:
  • Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act
  • American Energy Innovation Act
  • Surprise Medical Billing Act
  • Protecting the Right to Organize Act
  • Emergency supplemental disaster relief for Puerto Rico
  • The Farm Workforce Modernization Act
  • The Lower Drug Costs Now Act
  • Fairness for All Bill
  • Voting Rights Advancement Act
  • Shield Act
  • For the People Act
“Messaging bills” are bills that are meant to appeal to one party’s base and help candidates on the campaign trail. They are not written with any real hope of winning bipartisan support and becoming law. These are bills that carry a pleasing title and are described in ways that no one can disagree with, like 'for the children'. The content of the bills do not resemble the title at all. They are ways of adding further government intrusion into our lives and fixing nothing. The choice for children illustrated in the first paragraph above. The priority is not children, but sending a message. 'Value signaling' while growing government, fixing nothing, making the situation worse and wastefully spending your money!


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