Tuesday, May 17, 2011

More shallow thinking: Rand Paul under fire for equating the right to health care with slavery

We read:
"Sen. Rand Paul has come under fire from African American leaders for saying that people who believe in the right to health care also believe in enslaving health care workers.

“With regard to the idea of whether or not you have a right to health care, you have to realize what that implies,” Paul, a Bowling Green, Ky., ophthalmologist, said at a Senate hearing Wednesday on community health care centers. “It’s not an abstraction. I’m a physician. That means you have a right to come to my house and conscript me.” “It means you believe in slavery,” he said.

State Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, said Paul was “making a good argument for himself, to qualify himself as a racist,” though he added, “I’m not quite there yet. I just say he’s an irresponsible, ignorant individual.”

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., and a member of the black caucus, said the Kentucky senator should apologize to the nation for his insensitive remarks, which he said were an attack on President Barack Obama’s health care reform law.

Source

What we see above is an emotional response to a perfectly logical argument. Rand Paul was not saying that Obama or anyone else WILL conscript him or enslave him. He was simply criticizing the logic behind the statement that health care is a "right". There is a video at the link if that is not clear.

If I have a "right" to some service and nobody qualified wants to provide that service, what happens then? Either it would be discovered that I have no such right or the government would have to force some other person to provide that service -- which could very rapidly degenerate into something akin to slavery for that other person. Only slaves can be forced to provide services.

But logic is lost on Leftists. Healthcare is a service, not a right.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Healthcare is a service, not a right."

In Jon's right wing opinion.

Brian from Rochester said...

Jon,

There you go again, using logic. Thought you'd know better by now.

Anon 12:42,
Either your new here or a troll (or both), but Jon is not a right winger.

Read his words. They are logically thought out and presented clearly without bias. Ask yourself: "If health care is a right, who has bestowed that right upon us?" If you answered "the government", then you have given them too much control over your life.

The government was established to protect us, not to provide for us.

Dean said...

Since when does anyone have to apologize for opposing a politicians views?

Perhaps Mr. Jackson should apologize for his irrational demand for an apology.

"If I have a "right" to some service and nobody qualified wants to provide that service, what happens then?"

In the United States if a pharmacist's religious views forbid abortion, and a customer wants to buy the 'morning after pill' (a form of abortion), our government forces him/her to provide it.

We're on the slippery slope already.

sig said...

This is just another example of racists finding racism where it does not exist.

It really must just tick off blacks when someone who is not black tries to use a slavery analogy. Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Black Racist, but the topic of slavery is one of universal concern, not in just your narrow, racist clique.

And to anon 12:42, Jon's sentiment that "Healthcare is a service, not a right." is spot-on.

Anonymous said...

"If health care is a right, who has bestowed that right upon us?"

I believe that God has.

Anonymous said...

We should get used to those on the Left attacking Rand Paul, as they always attack those they fear the most, especially someone with such a bright political furture. And Je$$ie Jackass Jr. can't afford to criticize anyone with all the skeletons in his closet.

"Beware of those why cry racism, for they are the true racists..."

Anonymous said...

The USA "evolved" believing the "Darwinian" principle that you survive as best you can - with or without any outside help from any outside agency, including any form of "government".
So if that is what most Americans like - to be able to afford only if they can (or hopefully that their insurance has covered it - if they were covered in the first place) - the best treatments available, or ...

So it's just the "frontier culture/ Wild West" that persists into the 21st Century USA - but puts most US citizens into a 3rd world status and means the USA is in effect just a plutocracy or oligarchy and even a theocracy (given the religiosity of so many americans, even those in high office have to admit to being theists if they want to be voted into high office!!!).

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should order JJ and the rest of the race baiters to go cut my lawn.

After all it HAS to be done right? It is a public hazard if it gets too long so does that mean that having "someone" cut my grass is a right?

So why not force someone to gut it at a price I fix? Say $1?

Same thing!

Brian from Rochester said...

Anonymous 2:23,

Since 'health care' as we know it did not exist in this country until we institutionalized it, as did England and other modern countries, how can you even begin to think that God bestowed it on us?

The Declaration of Independence stated that 'our creator' bestowed the freedoms of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness upon us, but nowhere is it stated that the government is required to provide health care, nor does it state that it has the right to demand that all citizens pay into the national health care coffers.

I do hope you are being sarcastic, but if not, you have absolutely no foothold in reality where this subject is concerned.

Anon2:23 said...

"how can you even begin to think that God bestowed it on us?"

Brian, I will pray for you so that you will not be left behind on May 21st.

Anonymous said...

Ron Paul's thinking is, as usual, shallow and without basis in reality.

Instead of the "right" to health care, let's examine the right to bear arms as stated in the Second Amendment.

Is Paul really suggesting that if no one was making firearms that the government would come in and make someone provide them? Would Smith and Wesson be conscripted to provide people with guns?

Or if people stopped going to churches, does Paul think that the police will drag him out of bed to go practice a religion?

The "right" of something always rests with the individual. It is not incumbent on someone or something to provide the means to exercise that right. It is, however, incumbent on the government to protect that right.

Anonymous said...

" It is, however, incumbent on the government to protect that right."

The problem is, the "right to healthcare does not exist anywhere in the constitution any more than my "right to have the government provide me with a Corvette".

Anonymous said...

Rights bestowed from God supersede the Constitution any day.

Anonymous said...

The problem is, the "right to healthcare does not exist anywhere in the constitution any more than my "right to have the government provide me with a Corvette".

I,(the author of the 5:43 comment) agree.

Paul's conclusion is correct. The path he takes to get there is faulty.

It is my fault for not saying so in the 5:43 comment and making my position clearer.

Anonymous said...

Rights bestowed from God supersede the Constitution any day.

9:34 AM

Who decides God's intent on rights? Last time I checked God never left an owners handbook for the earth.

And before the critics cite all the religious texts that have been written, all have been written by the hand of man not the hand of God and are therefore tainted.

All rights attributed to God have been assigned by man, not to say they are wrong but merely to say that attributing more rights without a referendum is imposing the will of the minority on the majority. That is not democratic or authorised by God.

Before you preach prove the origin of what you say.

Atheism - a prophet free zone.

-btm

Anonymous said...

The Constitution guarantees the right to counsel. Does this mean that to Sen. Paul lawyers are slaves?

Anonymous said...

Anon941/BTM,

"Last time I checked God never left an owners handbook for the earth."

Yes He did; it is called The Holy Bible, sir. Read it sometime.


"Before you preach prove the origin of what you say."

Belief does not require proof, only faith.

Use the Name, Luke said...

Belief does not require proof, only faith.

Wrong.

“But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” — He said to the paralytic — “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”
— Luke 5:24

Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.
— Matthew 11:2–5

Also read Exodus 4. It starts with this:

Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”
— Exodus 4:1

God's response? Evidence!

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

— Psalms 19:1

You may not have been following discoveries in cosmology, but the heavens aren't just declaring the work of His hands via splendor, but also as scientific evidence.

There's much more. When Thomas demanded evidence, Jesus showed him evidence. After the resurrection, Jesus took time to explain the prophetic evidence on the road to Emmaus, made sure he was seen by numerous people (thus blowing the hallucination excuse out of the water), ate food to prove that His resurrection was physical and so forth:

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
— Acts 1:3

Some people will take one passage and use it to claim that Jesus demanded blind faith (which is how you're defining faith):

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.
— Luke 11:29

But compare this to Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the rich man:

“But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’“ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
— Luke 16:29–31

Jesus was not saying that He refused to provide evidence. He was pointing out that He was already providing all the evidence they need, and that it was wicked to demand more as a cover for their refusal to believe.

They already had the Old Testament evidence (including miracles and prophecies), plus Jesus was already telling them would be given the sign of His resurrection. Jesus' resurrection is all the proof anyone could need. Yet, just as He predicted in Luke 16, not even that is enough for some people.

One final thought: Faith is absolutely meaningless unless the object of that faith is real, valid, and worth trusting.

Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
— 1 Corinthians 15:12–17

Anonymous said...

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has" —Beryl Baptist Church

Luke, why are you using reason to make faith irrelevent?

Anonymous said...

Luke is clearly impressed by other people's "religiously-inspired" writings. It's called an "argument from authority fallacy".
The Bible merely reflects what Bronze/Iron age people thought about scientific matters (or any matters), though the ancient Greeks already knew more than is "revealed" in the Bible.

Anonymous said...

When you realize that most, if not all, rights to something are actually rights of *equal* access to that something, all "service" and "slavery" arguments turn baseless and silly.

Anonymous said...

Under the current system, doctors are genearlly paid by insurance.

under "Euro-style" universal health care, doctors are paid.. by insurance.

Hmm.. sorry, not seeing the "slavery" thing at all, at all.

Anonymous said...

Goodness (no pun intended), the militant atheists are certainly speaking up a lot about the fallacy of Christianity. Odd how they never seem to get around to islam.

Spurwing Plover said...

How many of jessie jacksons caveman anssectors had slaves?

Anonymous said...

Coz it's obvious how perverted Islam is.