An open letter to Mr. Obama, Mrs. Pelosi and the rest of the socialist democrats:


Hey, folks, please understand that I appreciate your point of view, I really do. I understand that you folks really, really, want to help those who you see as “disadvantaged” and want to level the playing field and all that. I understand, I really do. I am not unsympathetic to the fact that they have less than I do. I wish that it could be different for all those people, and that they could have all that I do.


But folks, realize that you cannot push people up by pulling others down. You cannot elevate the “poor” by bringing down the “rich” I use “parentheses” because for some reason, you keep redefining what these terms “mean”. No matter how you define these terms though, realize that a poor man or woman never created a job, (They may have created the NEED for a government job handing out government funds or vouchers, or administering those who do so, but they did not create the job.) It is the “rich” who create jobs. It is the “rich” who take the time to decide where and when they are going to gamble their money to start a business (or expand one). It is the “rich” who have the gumption and drive to take what they have and try to make more. It is the “rich” who currently pay the bills of this country, not the “poor”. Giving things to people for free, like welfare, causes the pool of people who are taking from society rather than contributing to grow. Raising taxes on the rest of the people (the productive, taxpaying, people) causes them to leave, or find ways to not pay taxes,. See California for an extreme example. Do you wish that for the entire US?



It is the rich who pay the taxes that are currently paying for all those social programs that your predecessors put into place 30-40 and 50 years ago, with the aim to end “poverty”. But it would seem that those social programs didn’t work, as there are more “poor” today than there were then. (I realize that you have redefined “poor” several times since then, but even so, there are more today).


Nowhere in the Constitution is there any language stating that anyone has the right to free food, or housing, or even health care. We have the right to liberty, the right to pursue happiness, and the right to life, to own property, to free speech. But it doesn’t state in the Constitution that you have the right to be given anything, just that you have the right to gain it by your hard work. The Constitution gives you the right to EARN anything you wish, and are willing to work for. It certainly doesn’t promise you handouts from the federal government.


Or perhaps you were given a different version of the constitution than what I was taught in high school?


Your version of things assumes that every citizen that can be, is productive, few are lazy or unwilling to work (and pay taxes), and everyone that can contribute, does so. But that is not the reality of people. The reality is that a significant portion of our society eats, is housed, and raises children on the largess of the rest of our society. At some point, this growing segment of non producers must begin to pay at least a portion of their own way.While there are truly disadvantaged in our society (and we as a society should help those truly needy folks), it has been my observation that often poverty and laziness are roommates. Like it or not, many people choose, either consciously or not, to be "poor". It may be that we have made it so that "poor" is comfortable enough, or it may be that they simply choose not to work hard enough to gain what others have. Either way, it is their choice to live as they have chosen.


We make choices that affect our future. Those choices may be made early in life, or later, but each time we make a choice, it affects our future lot in life. Perhaps some of the choices we make may be influenced by culture, or upbringing, or socioeconomic status, or the neighborhoods in which we are raised . The values we learn as children affect those choices too. But the fact remains that many people take the easy way out, or the most hedonistic, and those choices have consequences. We choose to be successful or not. Luck helps, but our society gives us the freedom to succeed (and also the freedom to fail to succeed).


Success is often the result of choices made in life. Education (how many of our “poor” have failed to take advantage of the free education that is offered by the state?). How many “poor” women have several children, with no apparent husband, and are considered “needy” because she cannot feed or house or clothe her children? These people make choices to have many children, or not to get an education, or to not work at whatever job they can find. They are content, (again, either consciously or not) to live at the level that they are at.


How to fix this? How to make them be at the level that you wish them to live? I do not know. I do know that all the handouts haven't significantly (if at all) made a difference in their lot in life.
But let’s take on today’s hot topic: Health care…..Nearly everyone has access to health care. But not to free health care. Health care is accessible for all. Better health care is available for those who choose to pay for it. Health insurance (not health care!) is available for those who are willing to purchase it. But health care is not the same as health insurance.


Again, we are back to choices. I choose to purchase health insurance. It is a high deductible plan, as I am fairly healthy. This saves me money. But my health care isn’t free. I pay for doctor visits and dentist visits. I pay for eyeglasses and other care. I do have insurance to cover my costs should I need major surgery, or have a catastrophic injury.


But here’s the thing: The choices I made when I was younger made it possible for me to have a job that allows me to pay for health insurance. But I STILL DON'T GET FREE HEALTH CARE. I work, and I work hard. I work long hours and I have built a business that pays my bills (again, one of those choices). I pay for my health care. I also try to not to have to go to the doctor, I watch my weight, I choose a relatively healthy lifestyle, eat a relatively healthy diet, I don’t drink to excess….all choices that I make so that I don’t NEED health care very often.


You want me to reduce my options and my standard of health care so that someone who has made other choices in life and cannot pay for health insurance should get it for free? I will still have to pay for my health care, but others, who have made bad choices in life, will get the same level of care with no effort or sacrifice. Where is the reward of success and hard work? Where is the incentive to succeed? Why should a significant portion of our citizens get health care for free at the expense of the rest of us?


Would you rather that I “go Galt”? I could sell my business, or close it. I could stop working and become one of the folks who takes from society more than he gives. If you remove the incentive for productivity what reason is there for everyone no to stop working and let someone else pay for them?

But lets ask some questions: Lets set aside the fact that Medicare has ever growing costs, and is inefficient. Lets ignore the examples of Tennessee and Massachusetts socialized health care plans that have (and/or are) spiraling out of control, with cost overruns and budget busting pricing and costs.

How are you going to prevent fraud and waste in YOUR plan? How are you going to pay for all this "free" health care? What is going to be used to keep people in a healthy lifestyle, so that they don't need health care as much? What's going to prevent people from going to the doctor every time they have a splinter in their finger or a stubbed toe? After all, if everything is free, why shouldn't they do so? How are you going to prevent rationing of procedures and of treatments such as dialysis as happens in other countries socialized health care plans? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR ALL OF THIS? How are you going to prevent the productive, tax paying citizens from losing the quality health care that they pay for now in order to level things for the non productive citizens that you so desperately want to provide free health care to? How about the illegals? Will they have the same access to non emergency care that US citizens will? At what cost?

Please, provide us with details before you ask us to approve such sweeping changes. Give us a reason to believe in your changes. Explain to me, not with hollow sounding promises, but rather with facts as to how my costs going up for my health care will improve what I get for my money and hard work.

And if things will be so good under your plan, then subject your family, and the families of our legislators to the same plan that you intend to push us into, rather than making special provisions for yourselves.

Or else let me pay for my and my families health care, and leave the choices to me as to how to spend my health care dollar.

Or is it still "from each according to his abilities......."

***Note: If you agree with this, please pass it on to as many as possible, especially your legislators.*****