Last week there was a court decision in Washington, DC indicating federal Obama Care subsidies were illegal. A few hours later a different court in another location decided they were legal. I believe we are a long way from working out whether or not it is a feasible system.
This is likely to be the single most complicated issue of our time. Right now I don’t know what the long term effects of the law will be, or how much of it will remain on the books.
Undoubtedly, the law was intended to help a lot of people. The designers of the system believed America should be great enough to cover every individual with health insurance. This is an increasingly common way of looking at America. We should be great enough to provide every person with a better life in various ways. Health care, housing, retirement, livable wage, and more are under the control of the government in order to guarantee them to every individual, and prove we are a great nation.
Behind the law is a principle that is worth noting. America is attempting to prove it is great through the services provided for its citizens.
In the founding and history of this nation, though, we had a different perspective. America became the greatest country on earth by providing the people freedom. The people, through hard work, innovation and courage, used that freedom to provide for their own needs. They took responsibility for themselves and then they were motivated to go beyond the basics of life and reach higher.
Only with freedom are people motivated and capable of reaching for greater success. And it is this success of the hardworking individual which made America great.
Charles W. Short 