The Fear of Big Government

The truth about the rhetoric regarding The fear of Big Government:

We are once again a nation, debating the pros and cons of Federal Health Care. Before we start with who is right and who is wrong or whose plan is best; let us look at this misnomer called Big Government. The history of the United States began with cries against and fears about having Big Government. Big Government is defined as the Federal Government having too much say in the personal lives of its constituents and having too much control over their personal liberties. The fear has always been that the Federal Government would over take the people's rights.. hence the 10 amendments were added immediately to the Constitution in order to protect the rights of the people - specifically the 9th and 10th amendment which says that any rights not specifically given to the federal government goes to the states and any rights not specifically given to the states goes to the people. Ultimately people rights trump government rights and in theory this is good, but let us look at times in history when the government had to step in to protect the rights of the minority against the majority or had to take measures that were technically not their jurisdiction:

1. Louisiana Territory - technically President Jefferson didn't have the authority to purchase this land from the French. Yet in doing so, he doubled the size of America. And today we applaud that decision.

2. Reuniting the Union - technically the South had the right to secede as their state legislatures voted on it; and if we were to abide by their right of self determination then the Civil War should not have been fought; but that would have weekend the Union and chances are neither country would have survived much less made such an impact in the two World Wars to come. We would not have been as strong; in fact, we would have been vulnerable to foreign attack.

3. End of Slavery- slaves were property; by law, the President and Congress did not have the right to take away property from individuals; yet most Americans applaud that decision.

4. New Deal - attempts by President Roosevelt to get America, and consequently the World out of the Great Depression. From the New Deal came the Social Security Act which includes unemployment benefits and retirement aid, and aid to widows and dependent children, the FDIC (protecting investments in Banks), and Government financed Public Work Jobs; ideals and services that many Americans rely upon today.

5. Anti trust laws - federal legislation that limits monopolies and encourages competition which drives down prices and limits businesses from overcharging people. The Government has had to step in numerous times to preserve the ideas of competition, a basic premise of capitalism; but at the expense of individual businesses' opportunity to dominate industry; hence tampering with their potential profits.

6. Civil Rights Movement - a legacy which applies to not just Blacks, but women, the handicapped, homosexuals and most minority groups. The legislation that came out of this movement essentially prohibits federal, state, and local governments, or any business from discriminating against a person's rights to obtain fair employment, education, and a myriad of other opportunities. These laws allow previously disenfranchised groups and individuals the ability to have social mobility regardless of their parentage or heritage. These laws help America to be the reputed "Land of Opportunity."

7. Seat belt and Airbag laws- not to mention any safety standards placed on products - they violate the rights of business owners to make their products as cheaply as they want, cutting into their profit margin; yet are necessary to protect the people from industry abuse.

There are so many more examples of government involvement in the lives of their citizens; and while some can argue that these legistlations were wrong and ineffectual; the vast majority of Americans would argue that most of these, if not all, were good, and that we are a better country for taking care of our own in these ways.

In this vein, the argument can be made for Federal Health Care; it should never be a case of should we, but rather how can make this work. Health Care, like Public Education, should be a right and privilege afforded to all Americans. End of Subject. A government that takes care of the basic needs of its people is good. Big Government is not new; we have been growing in size since our inception. We have new needs and we need to meet them.

The term Big Government is a smoke screen for the real issue: should poor and middle class people be able to afford health care? When big business gets tax incentives and tax breaks, why isn't that Big Government? When the Banks, AIG, GM, and Chrysler got their Bail Outs, why wasn't that Big Government? When farmers are given subsidies to NOT produce dairy, produce, or grain, why isn't that Big Government?

You can disagree with Federal Health Care, but the argument against Big Government doesn't hold water. We have Big Government now. If Big Government is the justification against Federal Health Care, then we need to reconsider most of our Federal and State Programs, which won't happen. Why not? Because they help many Americans rise above "Third World" status; and these programs help make America and Americans strong. Without our country stepping out and doing what is right, we would be an aristocracy where only landowners and the wealthy have opportunity and power. But the vast majority of us would just be sharecroppers, or slaves, or serfs doing the bidding of the Upper-class; with little opportunity to change our status; we would have a perpetual underclass, and we would not be the proverbial "Land of Opportunity." Why not? Because our government would not protect the little guy, only preserve the rights of those who have the power.

Going back to the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War, what the rebels fought against was a government that lauded policy without the consent of its constituents, those who lived in the American colonies; they were denied representation for their cause; hence the fear of Government control, but that is not the case that we Americans face today. Adequate Health Care should be a right that all Americans have, just like mandating seat-belts in all cars are. Even though cars cost more because of safety standards, there is an overall positive effect to our society... We can debate how to make Federal Health Care Effective but Federal Health Care will benefit all Americans and it a right that we all should have. So stop the hoopla about Big Government; it is a ploy based on ignorance and fear and ultimately is being put up as a smoke screen against meeting the needs of all of us; not just some. The cry against Federal Health Care leading to Big Government is purely a fictional narrative to dupe the uninformed. Do not allow yourself to be duped!