Common sense apparently isn’t all that common. It’s been a while since we’ve posted, but we’ve returned from our Thanksgivings and we’re back in action. It’s amazing how so much can change in a week and yet, strangely, things seem to remain the same. To keep things short and sweet today, I’d like to ask a couple quick questions.

Firstly, we are undoubtedly experiencing very tough economic times. The dollar’s value has plunged. Unemployment has skyrocketed. Little credit is available. Businesses and individuals are bracing for upcoming tax hikes. And somewhere in the middle of this mess, our government is trying to pass a health care bill that starts collecting money now but doesn’t start to take effect for another four years. What kind of malicious person siphons billions of dollars out of a struggling economy and then waits four years to use it?

Secondly, right now, 106,000 International Security Assistance Forces are stationed in Afghanistan [1]. In a speech in West Point, New York on Tuesday night, President Obama told the nation that he would be sending an additional 30,000 troops to fight the war. Additionally, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the European nations would be adding at least 5,000 more soldiers to the conflict [2].

We applaud the President’s decision to strengthen our presence in Afghanistan. The troop surge in Iraq came late but ultimately paved the way for the transition of power to the Iraqi people. Undoubtedly, if we are to participate in any armed conflict, we must be prepared to throw everything we have into it. Fighting a war without full commitment is like trying to eat a steak without a knife; you’ll most likely get the job done, but it will take forever and you’ll end up with it all over your face.

What concerns us, as it does many congresspersons and other Americans, is the incredibly short timetable for withdrawal of the surge forces. President Obama, trying to rally support from his antiwar loyalists, declared that the United States would begin to draw down the surge forces beginning in July 2011 [1]. Believing you can get in and get out quickly, though, is a fallacy. We’re still in Germany and Japan after 64 years. If we’ve concluded that 106,000 troops are losing control of Afghanistan, how can we expect that 140,000 troops can take control of some 251,770 square miles of extremely rugged terrain in just 18 months?

I think we all know that these two questions are unanswerable. No person who honestly cares about the American people tries to bankrupt them at the bottom of an economic downturn. No person who honestly cares about the safety of our American troops and the Afghani people sets such a short timetable. The only explanation is political gain. Bankrupting the very people who provide jobs panders to the lower class who more often than not vote for progressives. Setting ridiculous withdrawal timetables panders to the antiwar populace who more often than not vote for progressives.

There’s an agenda here, and it’s not the satisfaction of the needs of the American people.

1. “Lawmakers Challenge Gates,” The Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2009.
2. “Time Limit on Surge Draws Fire,” The Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2009.

And so it begins. Yesterday, the government-funded, government-appointed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [1] released new guidelines for breast cancer screening, suggesting widespread cuts in tests aimed at reducing the 40,000 American lives lost each year to the disease. To make its decision, according to Diana Petitti, vice-chairman of the task force, the group compared the benefits of screening to the “harms of false positive, such as anxiety and unnecessary additional tests and biopsies, which are expensive and time-consuming” [2].

There are several things wrong with this scenario.

First, the report assumes that the “harms” of a false positive could ever outweigh non-identification of the disease. Really? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather I find out I have treatable, early-stage cancer just to find out that it was a false positive a week later than wait another 3 years to suddenly find out that I have six weeks to live. It’s akin to avoiding going to the dentist for fear that you might have a killer cavity. It doesn’t make sense.

Secondly, this report suggests against routine screening for women aged 40 to 49, although it is commonly known that survival rates for younger women are lower than for older women as the cancer tends to be more aggressive at an earlier age [3]. The report even recommends against teaching self-examinations. Why would anyone in their right mind want people to be less aware of methods for preventing a disease killing tens of thousands of Americans every year?

The most obvious reason is worrisome. The government already controls screening for persons on Medicare, Medicaid, and VA programs. It is about to control screening for even more insureds, like those covered under the new public option and any plans in the government-created health care co-op, especially with assistance from the newly-created Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research [4]. These bodies rely on the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to define their levels of coverage, instead of the doctors who actually treat the patients.

We don’t want to jump to conclusions. But we also don’t want to sit back, blindfolded, waiting until it’s too late. The government is now realizing a forthcoming dramatic rise in health care costs; it is oddly convenient that they just sponsored a new recommendation to stymie efforts to prevent breast cancer. And while self-serving elitists like Representative Alan Grayson (D, GA) complain that the Republicans’ plan is to hope people die quickly [5], the liberal plan suddenly scores wildly high marks in this category. Waiting until cancer is terminal before identification makes it a breeze for the government to deny spending money on cancer treatments at the cost of American lives. Friends, the stakes have just been raised.

Today’s call to action: Forward this article to a friend who may be on the fence about government-controlled health care.

1. “About USPSTF,” ahrq.gov, November 17, 2009.
2. “Breast-Screening Advice is Upended,” The Wall Street Journal, November 17, 2009.
3. “Breast Cancer Survival Rates,” cancersurvivalrates.net, November 18, 2009.
4. “Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research Membership,” hhs.gov, November 17, 2009.
5. “Alan Grayson ‘Die Quickly’ Comment Prompts Uproar,” cbsnews.com, September 30, 2009.

“You Lie!” reads one sign, hoisted in the air. “Sweeping Away Socialism One Democrat at at Time” exclaims another. These signs are bound by a common thread of anger over deceit by the politicians teamed with the anti-socialist feelings gaining traction throughout America. John and Jane Public, who wake up and go to work everyday only to see their paychecks taxed more and more, are starting to feel the pinch. No longer is the frustration silent or even a low murmur. What began as a dull roar has built momentum and is now a country-wide movement with a very loud and prominent voice. The “Tea-Party” go-ers and 9/12-ers have spread their message to enough people and pointed out the hypocrisy in Candyland (this author’s not-so affectionate term for DC and the Fairy Tale currently happening) and stirred others to join the cause. The target currently in their sites? The Pelosi Health Care Bill.

Yesterday was an historic day in Washington DC. Several congressmen and women invited the public to the western steps of the Capitol to express their displeasure and outright opposition to the health care bill currently being debated on Capitol Hill. People of all ages from all around the country took the time to gather for a news conference and rally led by Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota [1].

Several thousand concerned citizens of widely varying age, race, and economic background gathered to protest what they deemed a government takeover of the health care system. Following the rally, the group descended onto the different offices of varying officials in Washington. One example that deems being highlighted is the encounter several native Minnesotans had with their representative Keith Ellison (D, MN). Having made the ~1,100 mile to speak with Mr. Ellison, they told the Congressman their story, noting their viewpoint on the upcoming bill and their adamant position against it. Renee Doyle, a member of the group making the trip, said, “[t]here’s a lot of emotion. But it’s very civil. It seems that he feels like he has a personal responsibility to – for us poor people – take over our will because he knows best” [2].

All parties involved in the discussion said it was civil with Mr. Ellison, who noted, “[n]ot that we ever agreed, but they really were fairly polite, you know, and I was not really prepared for that” [2]. So what exactly what was Mr. Ellison expecting? A rowdy, uncouth crowd whose knuckles drag on the ground when walking? It would seem as though the level of arrogance has reached an all time high in DC. It seems as though WE the people, whom politicians are supposed to serve, have turned into the public who don’t know what’s good for them, thankfully having the great fortune of a much wiser political elite class prepared to save them.

Personally, we believe that we should have the ultimate say in our lives. If you’ve taken the time to read this article, we bet you feel the same way.

Today’s call to action requires a bit more from you, the reader. Listed below are links to the contact information for all of the representatives in Congress. Make a phone call. Make your voice heard. Be respectful but firm. Voice your opinion. Do you want a public option? Or would you rather make health care more competitive and ultimately cheaper, opening the doors to those 12-14 million Americans who aren’t insured but want to be? If you want to see the future, you need only to look at the past. Government-run programs have a history of failure. Don’t let this become another statistic.

US Senator Contact Information
US Representative Contact Information

1. “On the Hill, Protesters Chant ‘Kill the Bill,” nytimes.com, November 5, 2009.
2. “Bachmann Leads Rally Opposing Health Plan,” startribune.com, November 6, 2009.