My Letter to Senators and Congressmen Opposing Healthcare Legislation

[Peter Trippett]

November 20, 2009

Dear Representative,

I am writing to object, specifically to the Health Care Bill, and more generally to the direction our government is taking.

First, I would like to say that you are working for a worthy cause. You are trying to provide assistance to people who are in need. But, you are trying to provide this assistance in a manner that violates the founding principles of this country, that results in bigger and more powerful government and less freedom for the people.

This country was founded on fundamental and simple principles - that men should live free, that all men are created with inherent rights - and with an understanding that an unrestrained government is incompatible with freedom and inherent rights. The result of these ideas is a country that rose in less than 200 years to super-power status, above other countries and civilizations that had existed for thousands of years.

It is so easy to say, in light of the wealth and freedom that exists in America, that no person should suffer from any need. It is so easy to be in a position of power, and to feel compelled to do something to end such suffering. The most difficult task of a Representative is to find solutions that preserve the rights of all people. But, when you wield the power of Government, which in this country is loaned to you by the people, you must consider very carefully how your actions will affect the most fragile and precious asset embodied in our laws – the freedom of the people!

Those of us opposing the Health Care Bill are not doing so out of any hatred for people in need, bias against our President, racism, because we have been paid by large insurance companies, or any of the other ridiculous motives ascribed to us. We are doing so because of our love of freedom. We believe that the principles of this country, should not only be held above any other cause, but that they also contain the solutions to the very problems you are trying to solve!

The current proposed solutions, in the form of the House Health Care Bill, violate the rights and freedom of the people in so many ways, both obvious and subtle, that we cannot allow it to pass. I will try to list of few of these here.

• The Bill requires that all Americans enter into a health insurance plan, and penalizes those who do not. Forcing people to enter into a contract against their will is not freedom – it is a form of slavery. It is also an unnecessary provision. The actual problem you wish to solve occurs when a person doesn't have enough money to pay for a necessary medicine or medical procedure. When an otherwise healthy person does not have medical insurance, no problem exists. I believe that analysis will show that the costs of providing actual medical care to those in need are significantly lower than the cost of providing health insurance for everyone.

• The Bill, like many being passed by Congress lately, is too large and complex - over 1900 pages in length. This new bill was written, after many of us objected, throughout the Summer, to the size of the original House Bill, which was over 1000 pages in length. Legislation has become so complex that few citizens know for certain what we are getting, or have the ability or time to comprehend it. In fact, it is doubtful that even our Representatives have time to read and understand what they are voting for, and some have even admitted this. This complex, over-sized legislation denies the people their right to a Representative Government, and is viewed by many as a form of Tyranny, since it creates a situation in which people can be guilty of breaking laws they don't even know exist!

• In order to help people in need, this Bill takes money from one group of people, to benefit another group. The money being taken represents the product of each person's mind and work. It forces those people to work some percentage of their time for the benefit of others, just as slaves are forced to work for the benefit of others.

• In a Republic, the rights of the minority are to be protected. Otherwise, the majority will always vote themselves benefits at the expense of the minority. Like you, we desire to help those in need. But, before giving money to anyone, we should first give them every opportunity to become independent, productive people, capable of helping themselves. Taking money from the private sector to fund a new government program will reduce such opportunities for independence, and create more dependence.

• Medical Care is an important part of both our economy and our lives. Allowing the government more control over Medical Care will eventually lead to unprecedented government control, and significantly reduced freedom. Although such provisions may not exist in the current legislation, this bill will set a precedent for future legislation, that will seek to control medical costs by regulating our very lifestyles.

• The bill seeks to control costs by establishing some form of Government-operated or Government-supported insurance program. The idea is that this “public option” will compete with private insurance companies, forcing them to lower rates. This idea ignores the fact that it is impossible for a private insurance company to compete with a legislated entity, whether it be an insurance program, or a “co-op”. The legislated entity will be unable to fail, while the private insurance company can!

• We object to the establishment of a new Government entitlement program, at a time when our government has already driven us trillions of dollars in debt. The current debt cannot be repaid for several generations. Imposing such a burden on future generations of people, who are not responsible for causing it, is unconscionable. Even if this Health Care Bill is truly “deficit neutral”, these programs will further burden the private sector, reducing our ability to grow our economy, and making it harder to recover from this crushing debt.

• There seems to be no end to the “problems” that our government seems to want to solve – each solution generating thousands of pages of legislation, regulations, government bureaucracies, taxes, spending, and laws, all leading to an ever-increasing government, and ever-decreasing freedom for the people. Most government solutions either fail to solve the problems, prove to be inefficient, or create new problems.

These are just a few reasons we object to the Health Care Bill, and to the current course of our Government. These objections are not directed at Democrats or Republicans, but to all of our Representatives collectively. We are here, today to ask you to please STOP. Take a look at what you are doing and try to learn what it means to preserve the rights and freedoms of all the people.

The proper role of government is to preserve the equal rights of all. Legislation that benefits one group at the expense of another is not preserving equal rights.

I ask you, as a Representative in what should be the freest country on Earth, to consider: Are there solutions to the problems of Health Care that are consistent with the principles of freedom, and the protection of equal rights? Are there solutions that also reduce the power of government, instead of expanding it? If you look, you will find them!

Regards,

Peter Trippett