What is the key function of the federal government?
Is it:
1) To provide health insurance for everyone in the country, including jailed felons and illegal immigrants.
2) To provide cash payments from cradle to death for any number of reasons including inability to see the blackboard in the 4th grade and simply because my mother, her mother, and her mother’s mother also received welfare checks.
Following those questions, Fischer proceeded to engage in a George W. Bush love-fest, gushing about how our esteemed President has kept us so safe since 9-11, while conveniently ignoring the fact that George W. Bush failed to keep us safe on 9-11. After I responded by noting that fact to Fischer, he issued yours truly the following challenge:
You can, if you can respond to the issue of the function of the federal government, and President Bush's success at keeping our country safe from terrorists since 9-11.
Of course, I responded with this little ditty, copied right from the U.S. Constitution:
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Now call me crazy, but if that doesn't spell out the fact that it is in fact the job of our government to provide for the general welfare of Americans, then I don't know what does. Predictably, Kevin deleted my comment pointing out what the preamble of the Constitution says, presumably because he can't handle being wrong, and what's more, he especially can't handle being handed his proverbial ass by a liberal.
At any rate, Kevin Fischer should spend some time refreshing his memory on what the Constitution says, because a legislative aide to a Wisconsin State Senator should at least be vaguely familiar with what our nation's Constitution says.
But the problem is that promoting the general welfare often conflicts with the blessings of liberty.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, Elliot. There once was a rabbi who said, "That which you do for the least of mine, you do for me."
ReplyDeleteWhen the needs for your general welfare aren't met it becomes difficult to partake in that whole pursuit of happiness thing. Spending your life in pursuit of the basic tools necessary for survival in contemporary society wouldn't make me happy.
ReplyDeleteShould the declaration of independence have read: all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of their general welfare?
Pardon my foolishness, but why can't you provide for your own well being when it comes to health care?
ReplyDeleteKate, not everyone can afford health insurance coverage, especially considering how expensive it's gotten. I don't know about you, but I don't have thousands of extra dollars just laying around that I could use to buy health insurance coverage for my family, if I didn't have coverage through my employer.
ReplyDeleteNow sure, I suppose the argument could be made that if a person can't afford insurance, they shouldn't have it, but I'm of the mindset that all Americans should have access to at least basic health insurance coverage.
Americans do have access. You have access, I have access, even Capper has access. :) No one is denying you access to health care.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I don't have a tree out back that grows hundred dollar bills. Would be nice though, wouldn't it. My insurance is almost $7000 a year. That's just for me. Catastrophic. No doctors visit, a smidge on drugs, and occasionally some tests. For the big stuff....well, they don't pay a whole lot. But do I have a "right" guaranteed by the Constitution? Uh....no. No where in there does it say the government should make sure we'll all healthy and happy.
I give freely to places like St. Jude's Hospital. I do it...it's my choice. No one is mandating that I help those kids, I do it because of my faith, and it's the right thing to do. I give to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Feed the Children, and numerous others.
Taking money from my pocket to put into your health care, well, that's stealing.
Kate, I guess you and I will have to disagree on what "general welfare" means then, because I interpret general welfare pretty literally, as is defined in the dictionary:
ReplyDeletewel·fare: the good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc., of a person, group, or organization
Hmmm... "....promote the general welfare,...". It says promote...doesn't say anything about having to provide. I guess, yes, we do have a different view.
ReplyDelete