Contraception - 2-19-2012 - part one

There occurs from time to time a convergence of particular realities that demonstrate the hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty of intransient political dogma; the appearance of light when all that is evident is nothing more than the heat generated by the blather of idiocy.

The recent nonsense of the contraception debate performs the exact function as stated above.

The Madison Conservative will discuss the inherent flaws in the actual positions taken by both political extremes in a later post; the more immediate concern is to provide a particular insight into the twisted logic of those vying for political power at the expense of American democracy.

Consider the following.

In  what was heralded by certain media flacks as a concession to specific religious organizations  objections over the mandate that the aforementioned  groups must ignore issues of conscious, not to mention fundamental tenets of their theology, the President of the United States announced that those groups would not need to fund the costs of providing contraception. He stated unambiguously that the costs associated with that particular service would be fully borne by the insurance companies.

This is remarkable both in the scope of arrogance and the breadth of executive fiat. This simple decision should concern freedom loving people across this nation.

To understand the danger of such executive mandate, the issue needs to be broken down into its several components. This blog will attempt to do that, addressing the aforementioned parts in no particular order of significance, as all the relevant issues bear equal importance and significance.

The constitutionality of the presidents’ signature domestic legislation, derided by some as “ObamaCare”, lauded by others as the “health care Insurance Reform Act” is at the core of the concerns. If the Supreme Court finds that indeed the individual mandate is constitutional, this president and future presidents of varying political lineage will be able to announce that private business, companies that are not part of government but provide a service to the public, will now do the bidding of the government, under the heading of whatever the topic, that it falls under the banner of ‘healthcare’. There is little in daily life that could not be attributable to ones health, from the manner of their transportation, to their individual diet, to the materials used in home décor. The ability of the government to regulate and control aspects of a citizens ‘ life, for what is euphemistically noted as being ‘for their own good’ strikes at the heart of American independence and individuality, the American sense of self. 

The United States Constitution is a restriction on the rights and powers of the government, designed specifically to allow for the individual to decide how they would opt to live their life. A nation that is tethered to the political vision of a president is not democracy, but rather tyranny. The ability for a president to unilaterally decide how private business will conduct itself, “for the common good” is nothing short of a third world dictatorship, bumped up to super power status.

The belief that removing the financial burden from an issue of conscious is simultaneously arrogant and stupid, no easy feat, and speaks volumes to those who see an issue in that simplistic a light.

There are many private, religious entities that self-insure; how do they provide coverage for issues that they fundamentally disagree with. The argument that such entities take federal monies and so must follow governmental edict is ignorant. The logic would then follow that if there were a federal guideline for gay marriage, churches would be forced to provide clergy to perform the ceremony. Any objections would be dismissed with the clarification that the church would be financially compensated for the service. Where then would the line exist between freedom of religion and the power of the state to ignore that right based solely on the premise of the ‘public good’ and the perceived power of the dollar.

It might behoove certain parties in this public debate of imbecility to brush up on their King James editions.

This entire spectacle is claimed to be centered on the ‘right’ of contraception, and that either one is fully supportive of contraception as a health right, or one is a Neanderthal low brow who would prefer women have no access to any level of healthcare.

As noted above, the Madison Conservative will address the specific salient point in a later blog; for now the theater of the political absurd is the issue.

The absence of intelligent dialogue should be troubling to the electorate at large. The speed and ease with which particular issues are granted the status of a convoluted constitutional ‘right’ is breathtaking.

The American mindset knows instinctively that there is no ‘right’ without an accompanying responsibility. The right to vote is secured only through the responsibility of civic action at the ballot box.

The right to freedom of speech is only garnered through the responsibility to defend that right for those whose speech is anathema to all you hold close and dear. The right for a redress of your grievances to the government comes with the responsibility to do so in a peaceful assembly.

The ‘right’ of contraception does not carry with it any announced corresponding responsibility, and so cannot be considered a ‘right’.

There is a place for such medical applications, and those will be discussed within the framework of a blog focused on the debate on health care.

In the interim, however, the body politic should take two aspirin, lie down, and wait for the blood to return to its brain.