Monday, March 22, 2010

A British View of the Health Care Vote

We Americans are so close to the health care debate -- it will affect our lives and the lives of those we love -- that it's helpful to detach a little and see what the legislation looks like from view a Brit. Writing for the Daily Telegraph, Nile Gardiner calls the vote "a dark day for freedom in America:

It is also a great leap forward by the United States towards a European-style vision of universal health care, which will only lead to soaring costs, higher taxes, and a surge in red tape for small businesses. This reckless legislation dramatically expands the power of the state over the lives of individuals, and could not be further from the vision of America’s founding fathers. It has also been rushed through Congress without proper scrutiny, in the face of overwhelming public opposition, and with not an ounce of bipartisan support.

Above all the health care bill is a thinly disguised vanity project for a president who is committed to transforming the United States from the world’s most successful large-scale free enterprise economy, to a highly interventionist society with a massive role for centralized government. The United States has thrived as a nation for over 230 years precisely because of its love for freedom and its belief in free markets.

What we have just witnessed is a massive slap in the face for limited government and the principle of individual responsibility. Its net result will be the erosion of freedom in America, and a further undermining of the country’s economic competitiveness. This may be a political victory for the president and his supporters in Congress, but it is in reality a defeat for America as a great power, and another Obama-led step towards US decline.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow: that is certainly not a british perspective at all. Have you spoken to any? I'm an expat and keep intouch with many they do not hold this view at all. Load of rubbish. James

Eric M. Bush said...

Notice the "A" in the title. You cannot speak for the entire British population. Also, in America, "intouch" is two words, and "british" is a proper noun, therefor being "British."