True North

I just visited the Greater Minnesota Health Care Coalition's website. What I found astonished me. There was this link to their annual meeting, which was held in Duluth on Oct. 17, 2007. the first few paragraphs were tidbits of information, including a skit, the election of new officers, etc. After that, they devoted a section to resolutions for the upcoming federal legislative session. The first resolution called for fixing Medicare Part D, the second resolution was about authorizing "the Re-Importation of Prescription Drugs."

Pretty standard liberal fare in terms of health care thus far. The next section caught my attention. Here's why:

Impose a Tax on Energy Companies' Windfall Profits

WHEREAS, energy companies are overcharging American consumers and generating record profits, while consumers are struggling to pay for energy, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Greater Minnesota Health Care Coalition (GMHCC) urges Congress to enact a windfall profits tax on energy companies, with the money to be used for low income energy assistance, for conservation and for alternate fuels.

Thinking people of all political stripes are probably asking what a health care coalition passed a resolution calling for an energy windfall profits tax. When someone figures that out, let me know because that one zoomed right over my head. I suspect that health care & a windfall profits tax on oil have as much to do with each other as spring training has to do with Instant Runoff Voting.

Here's their next federal resolution:

Strengthen Social Security

WHEREAS, the Social Security system is in need of correction for its future solvency but would be endangered by carving private accounts out of the Social Security Trust Fund, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Greater Minnesota Health Care Coalition (GMHCC) urges Congress not to divert Social Security funds into private accounts, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GMHCC urges Congress to take the cap off of wages subject to the payroll tax, so that all gross wages are taxed.

After those resolutions, I proceeded to read their Minnesota resolutions. Here's the text of their first resolution:

Create Universal Health Care

WHEREAS, the health care crisis for all Minnesotans continues to escalate with no solutions for affordability being offered by the private sector; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Greater Minnesota Health Care Coalition (GMHCC) urges the Minnesota Legislature to enact a public, affordable, universal health care system for all Minnesotans, by passing Senate File 102 - House File 479, which would create a process to produce legislation for this purpose and require it to be implemented by 2010, and also proposes a constitutional amendment for the right to affordable health care; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Greater Minnesota Health Care Coalition (GMHCC) supports, as stepping stones, state legislation to create a public health insurance system, such as one to unify state-subsidized programs, public employees', retirees', legislators', and small business health insurance and that of universal coverage for children.

Let's give GMHCC credit for their straightforwardness. Let's also chastise them for proposing such a disastrous policy. The notion that health care is a constitutional right isn't absurd because it's beyond that. It's also worth noting the inflammatory rhetoric that they used in the resolution:

WHEREAS, the health care crisis for all Minnesotans continues to escalate with no solutions for affordability being offered by the private sector

It isn't a crisis when 91 percent of Minnesotans have health insurance. It isn't a crisis when 59 percent of Minnesota's uninsured are eligible for taxpayer-subsidized health insurance. It's impossible to examine objective facts & conclude that Minnesota has a health care crisis. One of those objective facts is that Minnesota has ranked first or second in overall health in the nation each of the last 15 years.

It's also fairly ridiculous to say that GMHCC is only interested in health care, especially when this is their vision statement:

Vision Statement

The Greater Minnesota Health Care Coalition represents the interests of all citizens in Greater Minnesota on health care and other issues of economic and social justice.

• We seek changes that promote the health and well-being of all citizens and correct the great economic inequalities in our society.
• We seek to help build a society that lives out the values of compassion,integrity, meaningful relationships, and mutual accountability.

Simply put, GMHCC is just another liberal activist organization. Their big push this year is universal health care but it wouldn't be surprising if some of their people showed up in 2009 working for another part of the socialist agenda. And, yes, socialism isn't overheated rhetoric. Capitalism seeks to guarantee equality of opportunity; socialism seeks equality of outcomes.

Ask yourself this question: When was the last time you read about a capitalist organization seeking to "correct the great economic inequalities in our society"?

I've written about single-payer health care alot the last couple weeks. That's because I know what's at stake. Let me remind you of a few things I've posted. Here's something that John Marty said about health care:

"We need to view health care as a community need, like we think of the police department or the fire department."

Not coincidentally, John Marty spoke at another health care forum last September. The special guests at that day's events were John Conyers & Keith Ellison. Here's what Joel Segal, Conyers' legislative aide, said at that event:

"Nothing is going to change except there will be no more stock market, investor-owned doctors' offices or hospitals," said Segal.

That's what socialists sound like when they talk about health care. They view health care professionals, whether we're talking about hospitals, doctors or pharmaceutical companies, as greedy money-grubbers. Where a capitalist sees profit as motivation for taking risks, socialists see profits as rich people taking advantage of poor & oppressed people.

Yes, that's a bit of an oversimplification but that doesn't mean it's inaccorate. The question to ask is this: Which lens would you rather view life through? If you'd rather view life through a capitalist's eyes, then you'd better be willing to work hard to defeat this constitutional amendment staring us in the face:

"Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to state that every resident of Minnesota has the right to health care and that it is the responsibility of the governor and the legislature to implement all necessary legislation to ensure affordable health care?

Yes .......

No ......."

If that constitutional amendment isn't defeated, then we'll have a socialized health care system in the near future.

In summation, GMHCC definitely advocates for socialized health care but it doesn't stop there. Based on their past statements & documents, the people that staff GMHCC believe in socialism as a general economic model.

That's a message worth rejecting.

Comments welcomed at LFR.