Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat
Individual Freedom For Everyone

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Thom Hartmann: 'Health Care Should Be A Right To Life in America!'

Source:Thom Hartmann- arguing that health care is a right in America.

"Thom talks about healthcare and how it should be a right for every American in order to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.

Rep. Zack Wamp's office number: (202) 225-3271
Rep. John Conyer's office number: (202) 225-5126
White House comment line: (202) 456-1111
Contact your member of Congress: (202) 224-3121" 


We already have health care as a legal right not constitutional, but as a legal right, at least for emergencies. If you get sick or hurt and you end up at an emergency room and end up in a hospital for at least a period of time, the doctors have to by law give you the health care that you need in order for you to survive. At least in the short-term and if you want to go farther then that, we need Congress to pass a new law. 

You could also argue that the Right to Self-Defense (the 2nd Amendment) protects our right to health and life in America, because it gives Americans the constitutional right to defend themselves and prevent predators from hurting us. 

But this real discussion and debate is really about whether we have a right to health insurance in America and under the U.S. Constitution and current U.S. Law, we don't have a right (constitutional or otherwise) to health insurance. But we also don't have a right to food or water (at least under the Constitution and law) to food, water, housing, a good job, education, banking, everything else that human beings need to live well in America. 

If Socialists in America want the Federal Government to guarantee every American a right to health insurance, then they need to tell Americans how they (meaning the taxpayers) are going to have to pay for it. And if they're going guarantee every American the right to health insurance, then perhaps there other services that they want to guarantee as well, like housing, food, water, etc. And if that's the case as well, then they need to tell every taxpayer in America how the taxpayers are going to have to pay for it. Because as the great Classical Liberal Professor Milton Friedman brilliantly said, there's no free lunch in America, at least that comes from government. But who would want free government food anyway?