Monday, March 22, 2010

If you are hungry, broke, and under 18, you should pull yourself up by your bootstraps

There’s a major piece of legislation that has been pushing through Congress for about 14 months. It has to do with many things, but one of those things is the role of the federal government. The bill would increase the role of the federal government in helping out the disadvantaged. The opponents of the bill do not like that and believe that the federal government is forcing people to pay more taxes to help others. This bill passed last night. Does anyone want to take a stab at what it is? That’s right, it’s healthcare.

First, there should be a little description about healthcare. This bill does not force people to use government healthcare. It does not shut down every private industry. However, this bill does have some faults. Obama tells us that this bill will pay for itself by reducing fraud and using money that’s actually trapped in the system. While that may seem awesome, it’s probably not going to happen. While the healthcare bill did get CBO (Congressional Budget Office) approval, there are sure to be some kinks, and it is very unlikely that it will completely pay for itself. Most likely, some Americans are going to see an increase in their taxes. Now here’s the question: should the federal government force these Americans to use their money to help others in need. The answer is, in my opinion, a no, usually.

The idea of government taking from the rich and giving it to the poor is definitely not new. Yet, it is still hotly debated today. My Republican friends are very adamant about this. They believe that everyone has a fair shot in this country. “No one should take my money. It’s mine. I earned it.” They believe that it is possible to pull yourself up by the bootstraps (I think it’s physically impossible by the way). To an extent, they’re right. Why should you someone take what you earned. After all, it’s yours, and American capitalism has taught us that there’s not a more pleasant sounding word than “mine”.

Some people disagree. They keep yapping about how you should think about others, should be a kind neighbor, should remember the golden rule, and so on and so forth. While the things they say sound lovely, we really can’t force people to do anything. After all, we need more time to focus on ourselves. Who cares about the others? My ancestors fought for my freedom and no one else’s and I should enjoy it. Go America.

But wait, since the role of the government isn’t to help out people, do we just let them die? Of course not. After all, what are charities and non-governmental organizations for (don’t you just love it when donations are tax-deductable?)? If these charities and NGOs fail at what they do and a couple people starve (or can’t pay their medical fees), well it’s not my fault. I gave what I feel like is enough to clear my conscience. And if I didn’t, it doesn’t matter because it’s just one less person that’s donating. Everyone else will donate. Those fools.

It seems like we established the fact that we should use charities and NGOs. Then what is the government for? Is it for making sure that we start off at an equal foot? Nope, we can just figure that out on our own. And if we get stuck in some school that we don’t like, well, we can all just transfer to Westminster, right? Looks like the government isn’t good for anything. Down with Big Brother. The Tea Party rocks.

Oh, and lastly, this healthcare bill. I think that it’s a good piece of legislation. Simply because it will collapse the government’s budget (what does the CBO know?), and bring down the government.

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