20100507

Right vs Left: US Government

There certainly is a difference in expectations between the left and the right regarding the role of the US government. I have noticed that there are still plenty of bumper stickers decrying the war on terror. Yet, waging war is well within the purview of what a government, any government, does. In my opinion the primary goal of any government should be protecting its citizens against foreign power whether it be another national government, band of corsairs, or terrorists. I empathize with the pacifist sentiments of the left regarding war in general, and I also acknowledge their disagreement whether it was a just war or not in Iraq. I happened to think we should do more than retaliate against the perpetrators of 9/11 and if Iraq succeeds as a democratic state, I believe this will move Arab jihadists just a little away from terrorism. South Asians are another matter completely and deserves its own post. I bring this up because my abhorrence of the Obamacare must feel similar to the left regarding the WoT/Iraq. Yet I just do not see how Obamacare is within the purview of the US government at least as laid out in the US Constitution. That the discussion of Obamacare even occurred and considered at all is astounding. Not to mention how it came to pass seems very undemocratic.

The WoT/Iraq was about whether the US government should or should not wage war.
Obamacare was about whether the US government could or could not be in the business of providing healthcare. There is just no constitutional basis for this discussion to even get to a disagreement.

One might argue that Obamacare is not about US governement healthcare ... until you realize that the regulations imposed will increase the cost of providing private insurance, thus herding more and more people toward government care.

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