Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

[Naturyl]

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 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 Happiness.

Dear opponents of "socialized medicine,"

You guys are a pretty interesting bunch. You love to quote the Founding Fathers and the documents they wrote, and some of you know many of the lines by heart. But you seem to have trouble reading between the lines. For your edification and amusement, let me present you with a free ticket to the clue train.

Life

This is kind of a biggie. Without life, there's not too much you can do with the other unalienable rights. So, if we have a Creator-given right to life, then how come 18,000 Americans die every year due to lack of access to health care? Looks like the right to life is pretty alienable after all, if you can't afford it.

It's funny how the "culture of life" extends primarily to unborn fetuses and people who can afford to buy the right to life which was declared "unalienable" and "endowed by the creator" in 1776. I know this might be a little too abstract for you, but as it turns out, health is essential to life. A lack of health results in death. Go figure, eh?

Liberty

Ah, here's where a lot of the trouble starts. You guys define "liberty" primarily as freedom from having to pay taxes. But, constitutionally speaking, that freedom never existed, because the preamble of the Constitution itself says that one of its six specific purposes is to "promote the general welfare."

Yeah, I know you guys hate that bit and would rather pretend it didn't exist or try to explain it away with elaborate rationalizations. But it's important, because if the general welfare isn't promoted, liberty actually means nothing. What's the use of freedom when you can't get out of bed due to a treatable illness?

Pursuit of Happiness

I dunno if you realize it or not, but it's kind of hard to pursue happiness while you're incapacitated by an illness - especially one that would be treatable or preventable with access to health care. It's tough to pursue happiness when you lose your life savings to medical bills, or when you get denied a necessary treatment by your HMO.

The Founding Fathers were not stupid. They realized that each of these "unalienable, Creator-endowed" rights depends on the others. Without health care, 18,000 Americans per year are being denied the Creator-endowed, unalienable right to life. Many more are being denied liberty and the pursuit of happiness by the for-profit HMO system.

And you know what? According to the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, that's just un-American.

[pinstikfartherin]

1. K&R!

[armyowalgreens]

2. K&R

[leftstreet]

3. The push for single payer is the true Right to Life movement

K&R

[Naturyl]

4. Absolutely.

Isn't it amazing how Orwellian the right-wing is? Whatever they are, they call themselves the opposite and accuse the left of their own failings.

[dmr]

5. kick

[REP]

6. Unfortunately, the Declaration of Independence has no legal standing

Don't be like the rightwingers, who think the DoI is the same thing as the Preamble to the Constitution. One has legal standing; one doesn't.

[closeupready]

11. Irrelevant.

n/t

[lib_wit_it]

7. Nice job! I tried to say this on a few theFacebook comments, regarding the anti Obama polls, but

you stated it so much better! May I quote you (or do I just have to swipe your words ;))?

[Naturyl]

8. Whatever you want to do.

As long as it's helping counter the opposition, that's what counts.

[lib_wit_it]

9. Cool--thanks! I'll credit Naturyl of DU.

[Wednesdays]

10. K&R

:kick:

[ThomWV]

12. Your paragraph on Liberty is sensless - meaning it makes no sense

I have no idea at all what you are trying to say in the paragraph that has the headline "Liberty". "Liberty" is simply the authority to do that which is already legal, or more correctly do that which has not been made illegal. For instance you have no right to stroll down a sidewalk, but where there is no law against walking on sidewalks you are at liberty to do so. The same is true of health care financing, you are at liberty to go buy all of it you want and can afford but you have no right to it.

[closeupready]

13. I think you have it backwards. People are born with maximum liberty,

and it is the law which restricts it in specific ways. So as per your example, all people have the right to stroll down a sidewalk, except if the law specifically prohibits it.

The reason why people don't have the liberty of buying any health insurance they want is because, in the US, health insurance is considered a private contract, not a public facility. This consideration is at the core of our problem.