I’m a conservative Evangelical Christian who leans far to the right on almost every political issue. However, we need to end the futile and endless cycle of political rhetoric used by both the left and the right. Since my point is to stop blaming the other side for everything, we need to approach this by just cleaning up our own act. Therefore, I’ll use the Obama health care plan as an example, and admonish my fellow Republicans instead of the Democrats.
Opposition to health care reform bills has been explosive from Republicans, evangelicals, and conservative talk show hosts, evangelical leaders. The current legislation has been called “a vicious assault on the elderly,” and “creeping euthanasia.” Some have even made analogies to Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The inflammatory political rhetoric of such accusations is not limited to either of the two major political parties. Both sides find it easier to be cynical, by leveling attacks on their opponents than, instead of defending their own policies. We seem to prefer the competition of the political arena rather than the challenge of solving our problems. Unfortunately, it takes much less time and thought to call each other names than to come up with better solutions. If it’s our objective to be argumentative and to find flaws in our opponents and their policies, then our job is much easier. Here are a couple of examples:
Should the government dictate that all coverage is identical (a true rationing of health care), removing the option to get more or better health care by paying for it themselves? If the patient is using his own money to pay for his health care, instead of Medicare or health insurance, should the government still have a say in the matter? Well, this would be easy to complain about, simply because it’s being proposed by one’s opposing political party, no matter which way it’ decided:
– If no health care is be restricted for those who can afford to pay their own way, then we would complain about the fairness of this policy because rich people can have certain health care that poorer people can’t afford.
– If certain health care is restricted even for paying for it themselves, then we would complain that this policy is inconsistent with free enterprise, and even our freedom.
My party has used another tactic to play on the fears of baby boomers by reminding them that they need to protect their parents from these evils. However, if we really respect the sanctity of life, then why are my parents more important than somebody else’s parents? Of course, they’re more important to me, because they’re my__ parents. God shows no favoritism (Romans 2:11), and neither should we. If we aren’t able to argue our point without playing on people’s emotions, then we should reexamine our own policies.