Free Will Offering vs Charity from Tax

My friend Emily is happy that Obama's health care reform (HCR) has passed. It reminds me of a quote from Milton Friedman (numbers added)

There are four ways in which you can spend money.

[1] You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you're doing, and you try to get the most for your money.

[2] Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I'm not so careful about the content of the present, but I'm very careful about the cost.

[3] Then, I can spend somebody else's money on myself. And if I spend somebody else's money on myself, then I'm sure going to have a good lunch!

[4] Finally, I can spend somebody else's money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else's money on somebody else, I'm not concerned about how much it is, and I'm not concerned about what I get.

The bill just passed spends money like number 4. It is wasteful and more likely to breed corruption. We are running headlong into mountains of debt and have not considered repayment. It is irresponsible. It will prompt the health care givers to get out of the business or move elsewhere.

A better alternative is a plan by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Some points are:

- health care portability from job to job

- create state health insurance exchanges - a marketplace to compare difference policies will increase competition

- Increase transparency through a Healthcare Services Commission that relies on a public/private partnership

More details of the Patient Choice Act are here.

This is a more sensible plan. I cannot believe that we think raising taxes is going to get us out of this recession.

There are many that are out of jobs and also don't have access to health care. The best way to accomplish this is by free will offerings. Giving willingly either directly to someone you see in need or to charities that will offer relief.

Joseph Smith did not believe in Socialism.

Joseph accepted the economy of private property and individual enterprise. Even under the consecration of properties, individual stewards operated independently in a market economy, though they were obligated to return their "surplus" to the bishop

...

But capitalism never ruled Nauvoo as it did Chicago, a city that in 1844 was the same size as Nauvoo. The original name of the Nauvoo site, Commerce, was dropped after the Saints arrived. Rather than promising entrepreneurs great wealth, Joseph asked that "money be brought here to pay the poor for manufacturing." Profits were secondary to creating jobs.

(Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Richard Lyman Bushman, 2005, pages 502 and 503, view online)

It can also be noted that he did not practice Capitalism in the same way. The focus was on lifting those in a poorer position instead of enriching yourself. Yet it was all voluntary. The obligation he refers to comes after I covenant to obey the law of consecration. Yet it is a voluntary covenant. I recognize my position as a beggar before God (Mos 4:16-27). I then promise to do my best to help others both physically and spiritually.

Socialism or charity from tax, promotes wastefulness and corruption. On the other hand, greedy, unchecked capitalism leaves the poor and poorest without relief. The ideal is the accountability and reward that comes from capitalism along with free will offerings lifting up the unfortunate among us. We assist them to become self sufficient. This is best achieved by capitalism and persuasion to acknowledge our positions as beggars before God.

"capitalism is the least worst system available to us — until Zion can be achieved" Geoff B.

The GOP 3 Year Pledge

Duane Patterson has made a 3 year pledge for the GOP. I cannot commit to 6 days a week. Yet I will continue to work to repeal the budget busting health care insurance reform bill now being passed.

I just donated a small amount to the National Republican Congressional Committee. I hope they continue to focus on how to regain a majority in Congress so that we can reverse Obamacare before it becomes another way to bankrupt the USA and deteriorates our access to health care.

One Day or One Week

A bug has started to go through my family. It is a 24 hour stomach flu. Two or three of my kids have had it in the last couple of weeks or so. I make 4. For the last three it only takes 24 hours of resting your stomach from food and drink and then you can slowly add simple foods. For those that followed this prescription it only took about 24 hours until they could keep food and water down.

My nephew seems to have had the same bug. In his case he is only 2 years old. It is not pleasant to have an empty stomach. It is even less unpleasant to empty it. His parent kept giving him milk. That is was he was used to. He kept throwing up. It took about a week for him to get over his bug.

As I have been up since about 3 am, I have thought about this in relation to the health insurance bill the Senate passed on Christmas Eve. The way I see it, we can either convince our friends and family that they need to wake up and make their vote and dollars heard before this becomes law or we face a much longer battle to undo it.

I plan to find and detail exactly why this bill would be very bad for our economy and our health care. I also plan to suggest alternatives to this health insurance. But before we can even consider what is better we must stop this bill.

I think if all of us rise up and go to work we might have a few days or weeks of concerted effort. It may put us out of our comfort zone. It may be inconvenient or bothersome. Would you rather wait and see how this bill deteriorates the quality of heath care available to us? Should we just not worry about it because we are consigned that it is inevitable? Do you want to wait and see if it really will bankrupt us?

I choose not to wait. I am sick today. If I stick to resting my belly, after a judicious waiting period, I will be back to normal. I want the same for our health care system and economy.

For those of you ready to take action, send this to your friends. Contribute to ReverseTheVote.org, they are targeting 24 Democrats that voted for this. Take further action to reverse the vote so we don't have to repeal the deal.

Do what is takes to stop Obamacare

I have a good friend that has recently become more politically active. I am not sure what he might call himself but I am pretty sure he opposes the current health care bill going through congress.

Hugh Hewitt is urging Tea Party participants to help reverse the vote by trying to reverse the vote of at least 3 Democrats who previously voted for the bill. He suggest that we focus on the 24 Democrats targeted by reversethevote.org

Some of the Tea Party participants will want to grouse about what the Republicans did -- or didn't do -- when they were in the majority before 2007. Some will worry about being co-opted or about losing their influence or position within the media spotlight as 2010 begins to shift to the elections, which inevitably highlight the two parties. Still others will be dreaming "third party" dreams and won't want anything to do with the Party of Lincoln.
A test of the movement is directly ahead. To defeat Obamacare, it is going to have to team up with the GOP. The next few weeks will tell us a lot about the motives, and staying power, of the new activists of 2009.

Tea Party participants, Republicans, Libertarians, Democrats, none of the above, whatever you call yourself. If you really oppose the health care bill, now is the time to show up or amp up your effort.

Contribute time or money to reversethevote.org or work in tandem with them to focus on these 24 Democrats. Let's stop this bill. Only then can we begin to talk about reasonable solutions to health care insurance.

Five Steps to Stop Obamacare

My dad called me this morning with a Republican political survey in the mail he was upset about. I too do not like some of the mail I get that smacks of smarmy sales tactics.

I finished our conversation by talking to him about the health care bill going through the US Senate now. I encouraged him to contribute to ReverseTheVote.org. It is a group targeting 24 House Democrats who voted for Obamacare but who are vulnerable to a well funded Republican candidate in 2010.

I also recommend following Hugh Hewitt's Five Steps To Stop Obamacare. I want to focus my energy on those things that will bring actual change in this situation.

I read this morning from Hugh, Nelson Caves. So Will American Medicine Unless A Different Democratic Senator Steps Up Or Three House Democrats Change Their Votes. So perhaps sending a message to House Democrats is most important at this point.

I encourage you to take action and speak with your contributions. Even $10 would send a message that you care enough to let yourself be counted. Let your representatives and others know where you stand.