The Governmnet Knows Best

The new stimulus bill, passed by a 61-37 vote in the Senate, does not as many of us have already known and feared, contain provisions solely necessary for the repair of the economy. One large, shocking, and seemingly ignored provision provides for the creation of new and far-reaching health care reform. This reform calls for the uniform conformity of every licensed doctor to a set of government provided rules and standards.

The doctor, under the new bill would not only have to be concerned about misdiagnosing the patient, but he or she (the doctor) will also have to ensure that all treatment, procedures, and diagnosis conform with a bureaucratic code of medicine. Fearing a fine or even the revocation of their license, doctors will become less likely to provide swift and accurate medical attention, and less, not more, lives will be saved.

I recently visited the doctor, and before being allowed in, the receptionist made me sign a form that, amongst other things, relieved the doctor of liability because "medicine is not a perfect science." As a patient, it is not very comforting to be made to sign away responsibility, however I fully understand the need for such documents. With every passing day, America becomes a more litigious nation, and above all a nation of irresponsibility on an individual level.

Apparently, the Democratic party, and the current administration does not have faith in the people's ability to decide right from wrong on their own. The idea of having every single doctor conform to a vague list of what a group of politicians feel is correct is the epitome of legislative over-zealousness.

The American public as a whole is capable of making decisions for itself. People in general are intelligent and most importantly, what is right for one person is not necessarily going to be right for another. It is the typical example of the student who having gained much "book wisdom" feels as though he is prepared to conquer the world, only to awake to the harsh reality that the world and it multiple complexities cannot truly be reduced to chapters and paragraphs.

Through this leviathan of a bill, the Obama administration and its lapdogs in Congress have told America and the world that an age of independence is over; it is time to hearken an era of government oversight and control. No longer will you or I have to concern ourselves over our own medicine, money, or mind; the beneficent Obama administration will care for it all. Questioning the decisions of the Administration is now "partisan" and only those who wish to sow the seeds of strife and "Washington politics" will think for themselves. During his first 100 days as President, Mr. Obama does not have many results to show. Yes, he has agreed to treat terrorist nations as though they are not, and yes he has presented America as a weak nation. It is true too, that he has asked Congress to spend enormous amounts of taxpayer dollars while not being entirely forthright about its application. We all wait with baited breath for the next of what I am sure will be many brilliant ideas from this harbinger of hope and commissioner of change. (Sorry, I'm in some kind of "alliteration mood.")