Sometimes Your Vote Just Doesn’t Count

Do you wan the good news or the bad news first? Well, I’ll start with the good news: God raises up Congressmen and tears them down. However the elections in Massachusetts go today, God has a plan.

When the voters of Massachusetts elected Ted Kennedy, they could not have foreseen his unfortunate passing in August. Those voters could also not forsee that the current election’s implications related to the health care bill. Of course, no person could have anticipated these things. God wasn’t surprised though.

The irony of the situation highlights the futility of human agendas. The hours, finances, and sheer willpower which are pushing the health care bill forward  can change in an instant. Those who went to the polls last November voting for Kennedy, in one sense – their vote just didn’t count. God has veto power over our plans. Now the bad news.

I don’t want to be cynical, but the current agenda which is powering the Democratic Congress is alarming me more deeply than anything I’ve seen in a long time. Congress passing a health care bill which funds abortion would be the most disastrous error in judgment conceivable for our nation. If that door opens  – God can only respond to America with judgement. It is inevitable. For the sake of our children and our loved ones we must resist this in prayer.

Why am I tempted to cynicism? The last week has seen Speaker Pelosi, House and Senate Republicans and our President in back room negotiations to merge the two health care bills. Senate must still vote on the new bill. If a Democrat does not win in Massachusetts today, the Republicans will have the power to filibuster. Without getting into the technicalities, that stalls the passage of the legislation. So what is being talked about in the back room? Are they discussing what is best for all Americans?

According to a recent CNN poll, 61 percent of the public opposes any federal funding for abortion. The ‘will of the people’ is clear on this: no federal funding for abortion, period. The House version of the bill would absolutely prevent any federal money from being directed from abortions – the Senate bill has loopholes, however, which do not directly prevent such funding. Those back room talks are not interested in considering the House restrictions on funding for abortion.

Why hide these discussions from our view? The logical answer is the most frightening one, they believe, “we can’t handle the truth.” Trust me on one thing – abortion was not on the top of the list of things to discuss in that back room. The people in that room do not have a spirit of compassion for the unborn. They have made their position clear on that matter already. Many news articles on the topic of this discussion do not even mention abortion – because no one in that room wants to talk about it.

There are even rumors that Congress will find a procedural loophole to avoid the Senate from filibuster. If that happens, the Senate Democrats and the White House will have proven that they are not for the people – but they are simply conspirators in a liberal agenda that ignores the will of the people that they serve. This is likely the most significant domestic bill that will ever pass in the lifetimes of most Americans. It will directly affect every single American citizen for the rest of their natural lives. To shove it through without the full light of public scrutiny and debate would prove the Democrats have moved outside of democracy and towards socialism.

If Congress rams this bill through without patiently allowing the American public to scrutinize it and question it – then perhaps there is a socialist agenda in Washington. I was loath to believe it could be true, but the decisions Congress makes over the next few weeks will be the tell. Removing the American people from the process of legislation, disallowing the press to have able time to report the facts, believing that the people have no ‘good sense’ to decide for themselves – patriarchalism always leads to a boot on someone’s neck.

The way Senate Democrats are attempting to merge these bills disturbs me. They have taken the debate out of the public eye and removed the American people from the process. The backroom talks and hidden discussions, though necessary in some federal decisions, are at best arrogant and at worst, totalitarian.

The Health Care Bill Still Has Hurdles to Passage

I’ve realized in the past weeks that there is confusion for many people about whether the Health Care Bill passed or not. So I’m going to talk a little about where this bill is in the process. I’ll also give my opinions on whether the bill will pass and what I think will have to happen for its successful passage.

At least one person last week, when I mentioned the Health Care Reform (HCR) bill said, “didn’t that already pass?” I have great compassion for those who don’t understand what is going on. It’s my desire for the praying church to have a basic level of clarity on what is happening in Congress. Honestly, I believe wholeheartedly that if all you pray is, “God bring justice,” your prayers are entirely effective – however, there are human dynamics which can make it easier or more difficult to maintain a heart of prayer. It is easier to pray for people, groups, or places to whom you feel connected.

On Christmas Eve the Senate passed its version of the HCR bill. Out of 100 senators, they got 60 votes (all Democrats) signing off of their version of the bill, all the Republicans (39) voted against. On November 7, a different version of the bill passed in the House of Representatives. The House version passed with a vote of 220-215. Of the 220 voting for the bill all but one were Democrats. Of the 215 voting against it, 39 were Democrats and the rest were Republicans. In order to pass the bill the House needed 218 votes. In both of these cases the passage ‘hung on a thread’ so to speak – one Democrat could have trainwrecked the Senate Bill, two Democrats breaking rank could have ended the passage of the House bill.

The next step is to merge the two bills, a difficult process. Then this ‘new’ bill must pass the House and the Senate. If it passes, President Obama can sign it into law. There are significant differences between the bills and reconciling them will be an elaborate dance.

The passage of this bill already hung on a thread – two people in the House and one in the Senate; it will be even more intense the second time.

Personally, I feel strongly that some version of HCR is essential to prevent a financial collapse in the United States. On this fact both Democrats and Republicans are in agreement. All the information they have points to a need for drastic change. Any sane economist is advocating a need for change. The debate of course, is what that change looks like.

To put that in context, if medical costs continue at the current rate of inflation, in 10 years a family of four will have to pay $36,000 a year for health care. That will be about 50% of their income. That is a recipe for another Great Depression.

The hurdles to passage come down to abortion and money. Most Americans strongly oppose any measure in any federal legislation that subsidizes abortion. Abortion is the single issue that can derail this bill. A bill passing with federal funding for abortion would be a disaster. However, the bill failing to pass at all, would also be a disaster.

I see two possible ways which the Lord could use these events to release judgment upon the US.

In the first scenario, the bill passes with federal funding for abortion in place. This would be God giving America over to spirit of murder in a degree which would open doors of darkness over our nation. It would be the single most abominable legislative decision we have ever witnessed. We must absolutely contend against this with fervent intercession.

However, if this bill fails to pass, the Lord could also be handing us over to a severe economic judgment. I’m not presenting these as the only two options, or claiming to have the word of the Lord on the situation. My best judgment is all I have available until I hear from the Lord prophet arises.

As for me, I’m hoping the bill passes, but with no federal funding going to abortion. We need a change, but not at the cost of innocent blood. This, in fact, looks like the most likely scenario. There are enough pro-life Democrats to prevent the passage of a bill the funnels tax dollars to abortion.

Next post will look at the specific debate over abortion and the differences between the Senate and House bills related to funding abortion.

Health Care in America Desperately Needs Reform

I will be doing several posts on this topic. It is simply too complex and the debate is too filled with rhetoric and fearmongering to do it justice in a single post.

First of all, the health care system in America is not even a system. It is a series of historical blunders, and random circumstances compounded by greed, bureaucracy, and self-interests. Consider that modern medicine as we know it is only about 80 years old. Up until the 1920’s doctors were still bleeding people, and hospitals were basically poor houses and places for unwed mothers to live. Health insurance itself didn’t really appear on the scene in force until the 50’s.

The complex relationship between hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, physicians, insurance companies and the government is nearly impossible to decipher. Add the emerging global economy into the picture and it is enough to make anyone throw up their hands in despair and quit.

However, there are certain simple facts which shine a light upon the deep needs for reform. First of all, we know why health care is out of reach for many Americans. Health care is expensive not because it actually costs a great deal to manufacture pills or administer certain procedures. Health care is expensive because there are sometimes as many as 4 or 5 middle-men between services, products and the consumer. When every one of those middle men is taking a cut, prices skyrocket.

This is why America has the most expensive health care in the world, with so many people who cannot access it. Let me give just one example of the types of dilemmas that Congress is attempting to address in the current crisis: employers providing health insurance to most Americans.

Let’s say you are interviewing for a job. You are a sought after professional in your field, you know they want to hire you; you are in a bargaining position. Your potential employer, sweetening the deal, explains that if you work for them they will buy your groceries and your clothing. Sounds good, right? They continue explaining that they have company owned grocery stores and a clothing outlets. If you take the job the freebies are contingent upon shopping only at their company stores. Now its getting a little weird, right?

In America about 70% of those who have health insurance receive it at the company store so to speak. Would you trust Starbucks or Lowe’s to feed and clothe you (excluding giving you a paycheck of course)? So why do we trust them to buy our health insurance? When the company rep goes shopping for health insurance, do you think they are considering your asthmatic child? Or your diabetic husband? Even if you have an excellent employer, do want them as the primary health advocate for your children or spouse?

A note here: Many from the Christian right are announcing with zeal that with federal intervention in health care our choices will reduced or eliminated. Though I hear their concerns, the simple fact is – if you get your insurance through your employer, your choice has already been significantly reduced. I don’t see how the government adding options is going to give us less choice. It sounds like for 70% who are currently insured will have at least one other choice. The government plan may suit them, it may not – but at least they’ll have an option.

More to follow in the next few days.