It's not over

After the initial shock of the passage of the healthcare bill, I tried to think logically and reasonably. Yes, I was still unbelievably upset and disappointed... however, what good does it do to merely be upset- that only makes it seem that nothing can be done.

Something CAN be done. Does anyone know what happens in November 2010? Yep, all the congressmen who voted in favor of this bill better be ready to face the consequences of their actions. The majority of the American people did NOT support this bill being passed. What is the job of our *REPRESENTATIVES* in Congress??? To *REPRESENT* the American majority. It seems to me, that is failing to happen.

Secondly, this bill is not set to go into effect until 2013. What does this mean? The next presidential election is also pivotal. The bill could likely be overturned if Republicans take back the House and a solid candidate is elected president. This could be a long shot... but, if the American people truly read up on what is actually in the bill- there could be more of a revolt than expected.

I would love the chance to understand what is going through the heads of political leaders. What happened to the America I know and love? What happened to a country built on freedoms of LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS?? There are a few things that I carry around with me on a daily basis- among those things is a pocket Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

I wrote something on this a while ago and it seems to definitely apply now:

Unalienable rights? What does this mean? This simply means that these rights cannot be given OR taken away. They are simply regarded as rights that any and every human being is endowed... not by man, no... but by their Creator. In many cases this means God. This is not necessarily to bring about a discussion of whether or not God exists - but to explain that every human being has these rights, whether or not they are stated by another. Now, to explain further, there is a difference between having these rights and having a "right to" these rights. A man who chooses to murder another, for example, has given up his rights to liberty. He chose to inflict on another person's right to life, therefore he shall be put in jail. Choices we make in life will certainly have an effect on what rights you will have a "right to have." As I have said in the past... not all freedoms are awarded to those who bear ignorance. If you do something stupid, there will be a consequence.

The referenced original post I previously wrote can be found here: http://lavidadesheri.blogspot.com/2009/06/epiphany.html ... or here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=95966911244

I mention this because of the misguided reasoning of those endorsing nationalized healthcare. Will this help some people? Yes. Will it accomplish what it is SAID to accomplish? Most likely, NO. The government will be taking OUR tax dollars to pay for something that will minimally cover a great number of people and inflict on ALL of these aforementioned UNALIENABLE RIGHTS. This bill will also restrict care to those who are truly in need. All you need to do is reference countries who already have nationalized healthcare- are they better off? NO. Canada and England are two good examples. Life expectancy for people who have life-threatening disorders, diseases or conditions is DRAMATICALLY less than it has been in America. There are so many problems with this bill and I don't think I could even begin to describe them here... and I haven't even mentioned the problem that I fight for every day of my life- defending the life of the unborn. I am outraged and ready to take action. Whatever it takes, I will fight for the America that I know and love. I will fight for the right of every human being to have LIFE from conception to natural death, LIBERTY to live in a country of the free, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS- so long as it does not impede another's God-given right to the same. I stand for what this country was built on and will NOT back down.

I will leave you with the words of Ronald Reagan:

"There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right."

Latarae Sunday Reflections

Fr. Will gave an excellent homily at Mass today. He spoke about how we need to live our lives in such a way that allows God to reach beyond the surface. This needs to be reflected in how we relate to others.

I find this idea to be relevant to most everyone in this day and age. So many of us get caught up in surface-level communication... not allowing anyone to relate on a deeper level- because we realize subconsciously that it is safer. I know that I am definitely guilty of this. I put up walls and keep many people at a distance so as to keep from any kind of emotional pain. What is even more upsetting, is that this is also seeping into my relationship with God. I keep Him at a safe distance... close enough to feel like I'm relating with Him, yet far enough away to not let Him truly reach my heart. This is a difficult realization that I have come to... however, it seems that Lent is a perfect opportunity to remedy this problem.

I am going to take this Lent to help open my heart to deeper relationships with God and those around me. Fr. Will mentioned that modern technology has contributed to this issue- and it's so true. The ability to instant message, text message or use surface-level technology to "build relationships" with others is deceiving what we know to be an ordinary friendship. This is not to say that modern technology is intrinsically bad/evil by any means. This is merely to point out that we have allowed it to replace a lot of necessary person-to-person interaction that is needed for a solid relationship. It is more convenient and therefore a more common method of maintaining a relationship with another. It has also hindered our interactions with one-another when we are in-person. Conversations often fail to reach a deeper level and stay at the surface. It seems rare to have deep and meaningful conversations- reaching at Truth, truly getting to know someone, or revealing much of anything about a person. This doesn't apply to everyone of course, but it is definitely something to think about and consider.