Repeal?

From the The Heritage Foundation

Fellow Americans,

Late last night, in a narrow and partisan vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the most significant piece of social legislation in over seven decades. It did so in the face of overwhelming and principled opposition from the American people. Large majorities of Americans oppose this legislation because it offends the historic American dedication to the principle of self-government. They understand that this new law will accelerate Washington's intrusion into our most personal and private decisions.

This is why opposition to this bill will only grow. Supporters of this bill argue that popular hostility will recede upon its passage. But, rather than cementing our descent into a European-style welfare state, last night’s passage of Obamacare is best seen as a historic turning point, a true catalyst for real change.

I write to reassure our supporters, the conservative movement, and the American people at large that The Heritage Foundation will do all within its power to keep this issue alive in the public square and make the intellectual case for the repeal of this act. We will bring all our resources to bear on behalf of those who believe America is and will always remain the Land of the Free.

This, rest assured, can be done. The American people are never permanently thwarted. President Obama’s health care legislation can and will be repealed.

Those who supported this bill are our fellow Americans, and we do not question their good will or patriotism. In public policy, however, good intentions alone do not suffice. And let there be no mistake, our philosophical differences with supporters of this bill are profound. The reason government-run health care has been the holy grail of the left for decades is that liberals realize as much as we do that it is a giant step toward the creation of a European-style welfare state. This is an evolution Americans have always resisted because it is alien to our national character.

If there is one good thing about the past year—one in which we have witnessed unprecedented horse-trading, press stunts, midnight votes and political manipulation in both houses of the U.S. Congress—it is that the American people have come away educated as never before about the differences between these two visions for America. Americans are strongly opposed to this bill not because they have been hoodwinked but because they understand this bill both in its particulars and at an instinctive, gut level.

They understand this health care bill forces individuals and employers to buy insurance policies designed by government bureaucrats. This intrusion is intended to follow us from cradle to grave.

Instead of empowering families and individuals to make their own choices, Obamacare empowers the bureaucracy to make those decisions for them. It is this unelected bureaucracy, unanswerable to the electorate, that will determine the content of health benefits packages, including medical treatment and procedures, and how much will be paid for those services. Yesterday’s legislation brings us one step closer to fully government-run medicine, with expanded government power over the financing and delivery of medical services that is sure to ration care in the name of cost control.

You will hear the left say this new entitlement will be popular with the American people. Do not believe them for a second. Yes, 32 million people will gain the theoretical right to health insurance. But over half of that coverage comes from placing at least 16 million more Americans into Medicaid, an unpopular and overextended welfare program that already rations care.

Americans will not stand for it. The American love for liberty prevailed in our founding, and will prevail once again.

In December of 1773, to protest unjust taxation, a group of American colonists dumped tea in Boston Harbor. The punishment for that first Tea Party was a series of intrusive laws passed by Parliament that were so oppressive that they could only be described as the “Intolerable Acts.”

Obamacare is today’s Intolerable Act. And just as the colonists banded together to enact change after those acts were passed, so should America respond to Obamacare. This law must be repealed.

Much of the fight against this bill will be led by the individual states, a process we encourage. All told, 33 states have already taken steps to challenge various aspects of Obamacare, including its unprecedented mandate that every American purchase health insurance or face a steep penalty for noncompliance. Four additional states will have this question on the ballot in November.

On Capitol Hill, the initial battle over Obamacare will occur when Congress considers whether to fund the tens of thousands of new federal bureaucrats necessary to implement the new law. In the tradition of the Hyde amendment, which prevented federal funding for abortions through annual limitations appended to appropriations bills, conservatives should look to the appropriations process as our first line of defense. Straightforward funding limitations would prevent any Administration official or any bureaucrat from implementing the law.

Our health care system requires reform, and we have long advocated measures to improve our system. We can and should strengthen the ability of American families to choose the coverage they want, rather than giving that power to Congress and its agency bureaucrats. We can also spur competition and choice to bring efficiency and lower costs to the health system, in place of the bill’s deadening regulation and damaging price controls. And, above all, we should foster state innovation rather than Washington-based central planning.

But such reforms can only be considered once this tragedy of arrogance has been fully and completely repealed.

Fortunately, there are no permanent victories or defeats in Washington. For millions of Americans and for Heritage, Round One of this fight is over. Today, The Heritage Foundation is answering the bell for Round Two. Join our fight; become a part of our mission. Help us educate our lawmakers, as well as those who aspire to become tomorrow’s lawmakers. Together we can make the persuasive case for repeal of this Intolerable Act and thereby return us to our American destiny.

Onward!

Sincerely,
Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D., President, The Heritage Foundation

Quick Hits:

• The New York Times reports that Obamacare faces “long-term political and legal fights” as the “battle over health care” moves from “Congress back to the country.”
• The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) taxpayer funded abortion deal, noting that an executive order cannot override legislation.
• Yesterday was a good day for socialists in France as the Socialist party and their allies won 54% of the vote in regional elections.
• According to Rasmussen Reports, 52% of California likely voters believe public employee unions place a significant strain on the state’s budget and 53% oppose unions for public employees all together.
• According to Gallup, at 62% Americans’ support for the use of nuclear power is at an all time high.

Comments

[The "G" Man]

Very well put, well written. I invite you read my blog as well. www.thegman.vox.com Keep up the good fight. Together we may yet defeat this enormous power grad by the left. 

[Syrin from Wasilla]

Welcome "G" Man

Thank you for your input.

[Snowy]

Strange how the Heritage Foundation and Republican are now saying that health care reform is necessary, Syrin. One could ask why this necessary reform was not addressed during the eight years that Bush was in office.

This is a list of immediate and future benefits from Obama's reforms. If conservatives try to wind back those changes they will do so at their peril. Voters who can now see what they would be voting to lose won't be listening to the Heritage Foundation or Republicans.

[ken]

YOU LIE! the republicans had a healthcare bill on the table since before reagan was president,everytime they tried to move it forward the deomocrats/socialists killed it,every bullet point on your list could have been done by the private side,but instead the democrats/socialists demanded that the government be put in charge of it,your destruction of the u.s.a. government is on track,you must be swelling with pride,

[ken]

if they can stall this for 8 months there is a chance we can keep our republic free,if not this country is finished

[KaJo]

I somehow got on The Heritage Foundation's mailing list.

The last two times I got an unsolicited mailing from The Heritage Foundation, they included a self-addressed postage paid envelope, with a suggestion that I put my own stamp on the envelope so they don't have to pay.
So the first time I stuffed it with millions upon millions of dollars of Monopoly money, and mailed it back to them.

[Syrin from Wasilla]

Thanks Snowy for your comment. One could ask, and should ask where were the Conservative Republicans on this subject the last eight years. I don't recall the other side focusing intently on this kind of reform until this last year.

Yes, they tried it during Clinton, but were handedly stopped. Not so fortunate this time.

 Polls indicate that the public was more interested in jobs and the economy. It was not the most important issue America had on it's mind. I don't really know what part beside educating and informing on this and many other issues the Heritage Foundation will play. The Republicans had their chance to educate the public and failed in my opinion. But, I think we're at a place where we agree our health care system requires reform, and many have long advocated measures to improve our system. We can and should strengthen the ability of American families to choose the coverage they want, rather than giving that power to Congress and its agency bureaucrats.

[Syrin from Wasilla]

Information and Opinion . You can take it... Or Leave it...

[Syrin from Wasilla]

Nice to see again KaJo

We can and should strengthen the ability of American families to choose the coverage they want, rather than giving that power to Congress and its agency bureaucrats.

You can't disagree with this statement, can you?

[Snowy]

Dream on, kennie. There was never a whisper from conservatives about health care reform. Their big money supporters were doing too well out of the existing system. Now that Obama has achieved it, Republicans have lost all credibility on the issue. Ever heard of Machiavelli? No, it isn't an Italian pasta restaurant. This is what he had to say about change:

It ought to be remembered
that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct,
or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of
a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who
have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may
do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents,
who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do
not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them.

Obama won, kenny. Get used to it.

[Snowy]

Polls indicate that the public was more interested in jobs and the economy. It was not the most important issue America had on it's mind.

I think this is true, Syrin, and with good reason. But now that Obama has achieved health care reform, and people get to see the benefits of it, then I think they will be more accepting of it. I think by their policy of non-co-operation the GOP has done itself no favours, and this will be reflected in the polls.

[ken]

i know your not from america so you really don't know what your talking about,and it involved government oversight not government takover....but that wasn't good enough for the democrats/socialists.what this is is a change in the way the u.s. government works,last night socialism was embraced,even when f.d.r. pushed through his socialist programs,some dems and some repub agreed/disagreed,, last night the republicans saw the danger this possed to our form of government and not one voted for it,this was no bi-partisan effort,this was no american mandate this was one party dictating to the rest of the country,there was no democracy involved.americans will remember this in november.

[Snowy]

i know your not from america so you really don't know what your talking about

True, kenny. What's your excuse?

[Syrin from Wasilla]

The House has passed an historic health care overhaul. Are you excited or angry?

http://politics.newsvine.com/_question/2010/03/22/4048693-the-house-has-passed-an-historic-health-care-overhaul-are-you-excited-or-angry/from/toolbar

[ken]

my excuse?

i really didn't belief there was a american congressman stupid enough to put one fifth of the economy under government control.

my excuse? i took my american born freedoms for granted,that won't happen again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ken]

67% angry about it on the marxist site,i can't wait until november,damm can i not wait.

[Snowy]

i took my american born freedoms for granted,that won't happen again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, what can't you do today that you couldn't do yesterday, kenny? Oh, that's right. You can enjoy health insurance that doesn't use pre-exisitng condition as an excuse to deny your child coverage. You cannot be dropped from coverage whenever the insurance company thinks you're costing them too much money. You can enjoy free preventative health care. Yep, all that freedom for insurers to screw you is gone. Forever. Sad, that.

[ken]

what they did was put it under government control,one fifth of the u.s. economy is now run by the government,there was nothing wrong with fixing healthcare,what was wrong was using it as a ploy to make america a socialist country,the filth that have done this not only betrayed this country they betrayed their humanity.

[Téa]

Conservatives
and Republicans just suffered their most crushing
legislative defeat since the 1960s.  Deal with it.

[Inside_Passage]

That sure didn't take long - now we have the Heritage Foundation insinuating that the solution is another civil war? "Agree with us or die"?

Apparently these idiots don't know what democracy is.

[Téa]

This wasn't just a major victory
for Obama. This was a resounding defeat for the increasingly marginalized
Republican Party and its controlling and now thoroughly repudiated conservative
movement.

 

Make no mistake: Conservatives opposed this bill tooth and nail not because of its contents, but because they knew that success breeds success, and that the field is now much clearer for progressives to advance their agenda and heal the damage wrought by eight years of conservative rule. And the voters will continue to reward that success.

 

They fought this because they feared their own inconsequence. And in the process, they only made themselves even more so.

 

And if you needed any better evidence, check out the scene from today's pre-signing press conference by the GOP.  Talk about irrelevant.

[ken]

democracy,when not one republican voted for this,democracy, when 70% of americans didn't want this,just what form of democracy are you blathering about.

[ken]

by progressives you mean socialists,is that what your saying,socialists just rammed through a socialist bill,you do know that no republican voted for this,you do know that 37 states are filing lawsuits to stop this,you do know that 70% of americans didn't want this socialist bill,just what country did you say your from??????

[Snowy]

Syrin, you may be interested to read the thoughts of this conservative with regards to the possibility of repeal.

[healthy-businessman]

[this is good] I think it has to be done. The powerful are here to serve the people no matter how many dollars they ahve in there pockets.