One way that Progressive Democrats have managed to keep alive their dead, defeated,
bankrupting theories on issues like so-called health care is by perverting the
definition of very basic terms.
The word “right” is one of the most glaring examples of a definition that’s been
distorted by the intellectual house-of-horrors mirror that is leftist theory.
Every American has the “right” to health care they argue.
They’re right. Every American does have a right to health care. In fact, they have
that “right” right now. They have the right to buy insurance. They have the right
to not buy insurance. They have the right to pay out of pocket. They have the
right get a second opinion. They have the right to rub a little dirt on it and suck
it up. They have a right to help out a friend in need. These are individual rights.
America is set upon individual rights.
What they don’t have is the “right” to health care in the perverted leftist sense
of the word.
A “right,” in the traditional American lexicon laid out by the likes of Thomas
Jefferson, is something that exists by virtue of our humanity. It is “inalienable”
and we are endowed with these rights by our creator. No government or
institution has the power to take away these rights. You exist, therefore these
rights exist.
In the leftist sense of the word, though, a “right” is something very different. In
fact, it’s not a “right” at all: it’s a handout provided to you by government, often
at exorbitant costs to society.
“I have the ‘right’ to health care!” the leftists demand angrily. “Therefore, the
government must provide it for me!” This is where they veer off course. You
do not have a ‘right to healthcare provided by government’. Or a house, or a
college degree or education, or car loan or food etc, etc, etc.
B-b-b-b-b-but!,” scream the leftists. “Insurance companies can already deny you
health care.”
No, they can’t. Insurance companies are certainly part of the problem. We’ve
grown to depend on them too much and on ourselves too little. The system does
need to be fixed.
But insurance companies cannot deny you the inalienable ”right” to health care.
They do not have that power. They can only choose not to pay for certain
procedures. You can still find another insurance company, seek help in a
different state, find a charitable doctor to pay for it, benefit from a fundraiser
or, worst-case scenario, benefit from the generosity of a well-funded, for-profit
private health care institution.
After all, you still have the “right” to find that care. Even in a worst-case
scenario in the current system, you only need the means.
But when government monopolizes the system, when government first decides
what kind of care you’ll get, and when government next decides if they’ll even
pay for it, your right to health care no longer exists
Very well written, thanks!
The ones who control the language end up controlling the agenda and that is why it is so important to stop such nonsense right in its tracks. Your definition of what is a right and what the left defines as a right should be ingrained into our youth along with a zillion of other 'agenda seizing words'. The words 'tolerance' and 'diversity' come to mind...along with 'choice', and so on....
Bravo.
Very well said. I’m going to borrow heavily from that in future arguments and pretend it’s my own. :-)