by Edgar Frost

Created on: September 08, 2008   Last Updated: December 07, 2010

Recently, I was watching the Democratic National Convention, and I watched Ted Kennedy deliver a speech that made me shake my head in disbelief. The "Liberal Lion" went on and on about how universal health care is a right, not just something for the privileged few. I disagree with this sentiment whole-heartedly, and it bothers me that someone with so much power can be so delusional.

As far as health care being a right, let's look at the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Do you see any mention about citizens having the right to health care? I don't. We have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, etc., but I don't remember ever seeing freedom of health care, or should I say free health care. What I find funny is that liberals like Ted Kennedy are so anxious to call free health care a right, yet they have no problem trampling our other rights, such as our right to bear arms. If there was ever a bigger hypocrite, I have yet to see him.

His line about having health care for everyone, and not just the select few also bothered me. The select few? I'm not a wealthy person, but I have health care, and so do the vast majority of my friends and family, who are of a similar socioeconomic status. We are far from wealthy, yet we have health care. We have it because we work everyday and make having health care and being self-reliant an important part of our life. We rely on ourselves to provide a comfortable existence, not the government.

Can you picture what would happen with universal health care? We would continue to pay our own health care premiums and copays, then get hit with a tax increase to benefit all those poor souls who won't get health care on their own. Yet again, those who work hard and pay their own way would be penalized by being forced to subsidize the bad decisions of those who "can't afford" health care. What I find strange is that some people who "can't afford" health care can afford other unnecessary things, like new cars, satellite television, designer clothes, jewelry, cigarettes, gambling, alcohol, or vacations. In most cases, it's not that they can't afford health care, it's just not a priority for them. After all, when you're healthy, what's more fun: Paying your health care premiums, or a new designer jacket? For many of the "poor" the decision is easy.

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