Mandatory rights and other gov't oxymorons ~ By Doug Powers

By Doug Powers Posted: July 20, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 A $1.5 trillion bill currently squirming its pork-laden way around in the House of Representatives would make health care a "right" of all Americans. Good news? Sure, if you're also envious of the "right" of the Cuban people to be forced to listen to Castro's speeches. In addition to the goings-on in the House, a Senate committee has approved a preliminary health care bill. The Senate bill is named "Quality, Affordable Health Coverage for All Americans," and the pitch is that it would create a government-sponsored health program that would compete with the private sector. For starters, the government "competing" with the private sector is like a monster that challenges you to a "fair fight" knowing full well that it can rip your arms off and beat you to death with your own limbs. In Washington, D.C., every attempt is being made to convince Americans they can have two countries in one – a free-market nation and a socialist nation – and that consumers (you and me) can just pick which one we prefer to live in. Anyone who buys this can put the purchase right up there with the deed to their Colorado swampland and stock certificate for a majority share of the Brooklyn bridge. Besides, the government, though slow, crooked, stupid and misguided, isn't dumb – just in case the private sector could compete with their national health care plan, "Obamacare" will give Americans the choice between government health care and private insurance, and then simply outlaw private insurance. The "Quality, Affordable Health Coverage for All Americans" (it started out on a local level as "Quality, Affordable Coverage in Kansas" but QUACK, though an appropriate acronym for this particular bill, didn't quite make the cut) bill requires every American to carry health insurance. So there it is – health care is a right, and it will be mandatory. My question, simply put, is this: What kind of a "right" is mandatory, and if you don't exercise that right you can be punished with fines and/or jail? Some "right"! [CONTINUE READING]