A continuing debate...

"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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness (Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence--Paragraph 2).

I posted these few sentences of this amazing document to give all of you, my devout readers, my perspective on the Health Care Reform vote. I have been trying to keep up on the debate but seminary has begun and I have very little time to watch the news. If I say anything that is wrong please comment and me know.

With Ted Kennedy's death still in our thoughts and minds, we are approaching a very important vote in our nation's government. I would argue this bill is as important as the civil rights bill and the emancipation of slaves. Ted Kennedy fought for many years for the national health insurance plan and died fighting for the bill. I am sure many on the other side of this bill are hoping that the bill would die with him. But those fighting, well at least for me, will never stop fighting because of that first line in the Declaration of Independence, "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..."
This concept of unalienable rights has developed and evolved since this document was wrote. Many of those who signed this document owned slaves and would never have thought that slaves had rights. But America evolved and realized that slaves are people and these people do have rights. Granted, America is still dealing with problems of racism and discrimination but America has made many great strides in establishing laws that try to create equality for all.

This same argument could also be given to the woman's movement in the United States (and in many different institutions). This document was wrote by men and uses masculine pronouns but, like the civil rights movement, America's ideals and norms changed and the rights of women were created. Essentially, that first line should now read, "...all men and women, black and white, Asian, Mexican, European, etc, are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..." While America has made goals to ensure the equality for all, there is still much work to be done.

So we all have certain unalienable rights--"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." When I hear those words I think about Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The basic essence of this theory (please correct me if I am wrong because I was a sociology major in undergrad and we didn't really like the entirety of this theory) is that if you provide the basics needs for life, people will be happy and productive. You can look this theory up on google.
I do believe that the writers of this document put life first to emphasize life. We all have the right to live--the right to live a life devout to your country and your God (whoever that may be), and to live searching and pursuing happiness. How is Health Insurance not apart of that?

I still cannot fathom how some individuals (and no this is not a party issue anymore because there are many democrats that I will not support if they are against this bill) can say Health Insurance is not a right the government should provide. The government is called by our founding fathers to secure these rights for us. If the government does not do this, the people must stand up against the government. The United States has the ability to provide the best damn health care to all people. How can we deny this medical care to people just because they cannot afford it. This vote should not be a political move but rather a move to ensure those unalienable rights--to open the door to individuals, myself included, who cannot afford health insurance. America has always been about giving rights to individuals. How is this any different?

While some have made the argument that since Health Care is not in the Constitution the government should not get involved. I would ask you read my entry from July 8th. The government role is to ensure the well-being of all of it's citizens. Left to our own devices, we would hurt our neighbor. This is why we have laws and police to enforce those laws. The government ensures us our safety. So if the government ensures us our safety it makes logical sense for the government to ensure the health of it's citizens. For example, the government banned the use of trans-fats in food to help improve the diet of it's citizens. Another example would be minimum wage. The government tells employers they must pay a wage (I am not going to call it a livable because it is far below the standard of living in many parts of the U.S.) that can provide the bare necessities.

Okay enough of a rant. I could write a dissertation on this subject. Please comment and let me know what you think.