PrintSeptember 20, 2009
Obama endorses 'choice and competition'
Americans mostly ignored something in President Obama’s speech to Congress last week. “My guiding principle,” President Obama told Congress, “is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition….”
Yes, that’s what he said. It sounded strange to me then, because “choice” and “competition” are the words of a free market capitalist, not the words of a big government fat cat. Obama’s words rang out clear as a bell, at least to this conservative mom, but the subsequent furor over Joe Wilson’s outburst distracted us all. In the aftermath of the PR storm, with multiple apologies given and accepted, I looked back at the text of the President’s speech and wondered: Exactly where does our government give citizens “choice and competition” now?
1. The government provides our children’s public education. Do they offer us choice and competition? No.
2. Our government provides daily postal service. Any choice or competition? Nope.
3. The Feds provide health insurance (and thus control the quality and quantity of health care) for our nation’s poor and elderly. Choice? Nada. Competition? Nyet.
4. Our government provides the health care of our nation’s proud service men and women. Do they get choice or competition? Nie. (That’s “No,” in Polish.)
5) The government controls the future retirement savings of all American citizens, our Social Security. Are we offered choice and competition? Not even.
2. Our government provides daily postal service. Any choice or competition? Nope.
3. The Feds provide health insurance (and thus control the quality and quantity of health care) for our nation’s poor and elderly. Choice? Nada. Competition? Nyet.
4. Our government provides the health care of our nation’s proud service men and women. Do they get choice or competition? Nie. (That’s “No,” in Polish.)
5) The government controls the future retirement savings of all American citizens, our Social Security. Are we offered choice and competition? Not even.
If our government currently gives American citizens no choice or competition in these five areas, then how well are they doing their job? President Obama knows, “(Americans) do better when there is choice and competition.” Therefore, it stands to reason, Americans would do much better with choice and competition in health insurance, health care, public education, postal service, Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans’ Care and Social Security. Now that’s the kind of change this conservative mom can believe in!
I’ve taught my teenage sons to be men of their words. “Your words and actions are what people will measure you by,” I explain. “If you do not do what you say you will do, you are nothing.” So, with all due respect, I ask the same of our President: Be a man of your word. Please allow us, the citizens of the United States, to have choice and competition, not in just health insurance and health care, but also in our children’s public education, our daily mail service, our retirement savings and in the health insurance and health care of our nation’s poor, elderly and brave servicemen and women. Allow us all to have real choice and competition, because, as you’ve said, we Americans do so much better when we have choices, and when companies can compete in the open market for our business!
If you’re not willing to offer us true choice and competition, Mr. President, then please don’t use those words, because, well…, you know what I tell my sons!
“… it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” Mohandas Gandhi
Kelly Anderson Wright is a business owner, single mother and writer in Reno, NV. She writes regularly for northstarnational.com and freshconservative.com. Her email is pray4sneaux@yahoo.com.
