THE GUN TOTING LIBERAL™

THIS IS A GUEST COLUMN CONTRIBUTED BY MIKE HATCHER, a.k.a., “MIKE 300 SPARTANS“ ***

Uncle Sam’s Cabin (The Health Care Plantation)

An old story from the antebellum era goes something like this: An escaped slave gets up to Boston and visits some ladies in an abolitionist society club. The ladies are excited to interview a former slave and pepper him with questions. One asks if he nearly starved and had to steal food from the trash. No, he answers, they fed me quite well. Another asks if he was beaten and he tells them his owners had never laid a hand on him. They asked about his clothing and shelter, again the ex-slave reported that they had been quite decent.

“Why then did you leave?” one asked. The man said: “The position is still available if you would like.”

Think for a moment what kind of “safety net” fugitive slaves had to look forward to if they even succeeded in escaping. No food stamps, no social security, or Medicare. The slave owners had a vested interest in keeping slaves healthy enough to work. Today, thanks be to God slavery is illegal in this country but we often voluntarily give up our freedoms to varying degrees. We can do something as minor as signing a cell phone contract that if we want to get out of, we have to pay a $250 cancellation fee. Or we can do something as major as joining the military. My nearly nine years of Army service I don’t regret at all. I was well paid, well taken care of, and proud of what I did. However, I was also aware that I voluntarily took on a status akin to that of a slave. I gave up my right to decide where to live, what to wear, and if the government wanted to give me an injection, whether or not I thought I needed it, I just had to drop my drawers and take it.

You think because government run health insurance is called the “public option” that it will be as easy to switch in and out of as it is to change cell phone service? In my opinion the words government and optional don’t go well together. Consider federal income tax. Once a temporary measure to handle war debt, now a forever mandatory obligation. I’m not just talking about the money, I talking about how it made everyone, rich and poor alike, to have to report all their business to the government. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury:

“Prior to the enactment of the income tax, most citizens were able to pursue their private economic affairs without the direct knowledge of the government. Individuals earned their wages, businesses earned their profits, and wealth was accumulated and dispensed with little or no interaction with government entities. The income tax fundamentally changed this relationship, giving the government the right and the need to know about all manner of an individual or business’ economic life.“

I’m not talking about whether abortions or hang nails are covered, I’m talking about the nature of government to intrude on and control our lives. The feds “give” highway fund money to states and then dictate to states all sorts of rules that they must obey. Just this year we have seen many examples of the national government sinking their hooks into businesses by giving them money then yanking them around at will. This was symbolized most poignantly by congress sending back auto industry executives to crawl across 500 miles of highway from Detroit to D.C. rather than fly. Bow down before us!

On an individual level I’ve heard it reported that people applying for government aid would be required to report how much, if any, money they received in birthday cards each year. While working as a security guard in a social services office I remember a government worker exclaiming to another the outrage that one applicant for food stamps had a credit card and “it was current!”. Note to self, if I ever find myself in need of a government food program, be sure to stop paying all my bills before I need it.

In Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin the original master is the most gentle benevolent master you could imagine, but he dies and then things become much different. Government run health insurance is another big step towards the government’s invasiveness into our lives more than it already is. It may start out as optional but over time with new masters in congress and the White House, the power and control we turn over to them today may someday be wielded by people not as benevolent as those that made the car executives grovel. The choice is yours (for now). Do you want to increase the number of people on the government plantation or do you want to help people get off the plantation? There will be a spot there for you too someday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After nearly 9 years active duty Army (Military Intelligence) and moving his family from state to state, country to country, Mike Hatcher was Honorably Discharged from the U.S. Army and follows his wife’s job promotions from state to state. Thus he has had many a different job, teaching English to High school students in Puerto Rico to County Sheriff Correctional Officer in Cheyenne Wyoming. Mike currently works at a bank in the mortgage department and he and his wife just celebrated 21 years of marriage this year.

Agree? Disagree? Have Something To Add? Please Show Your Appreciation To Mr. Hatcher For Taking The Time To Author This Guest Column In The Comments Section Below

***

You Might Enjoy These Related Posts Also:

• (Video) Senator Al Franken (D-MN) Puts On A Clinic On How To Deal With Angry Tea Partiers On Healthcare Reform Issue
• Poll: Suddenly ObamaCare Is POPULAR Amongst American Citizens Now That They’ve Learned What It Really Is
• ObamaCare Update — Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Delivers 60th Vote To Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
• G.O.P. Infighting In The Senate — Suddenly, It Appears Some Republican Senators Are Growing A Heart Toward A Public Option In The ObamaCare Proposal