By Brad Mahlstedt, 2009 Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholar

The liberals who hijacked congress did it. They succeeded in passing a massive overhaul of the best healthcare system in the world; a system that worked for 90% of the American people.  They used backroom deals, behind closed doors negotiations where anyone who disagreed was not privy; and most importantly, they abused the offices they hold to usurp the will of the American people in order to impose their sick idea of social justice. But what does this mean for you and me, as American citizens?

This bill sets a dangerous precedent. No longer can we trust our elected officials to listen to the American people. It is now okay for congress to pass a bill that was not read, not popular, and not bipartisan. It is now acceptable to threaten members of congress, bribe members of congress, and bully wavering congressional members whose heavy hearts doubt the worthiness of legislation in order to advance left-wing socialist entitlement policy.

This bill means that for the first time in American History, our citizens will be forced to pay for another individual to kill their unborn baby. Every abortion in America is done through the guise of healthcare whether it is a doctor prescribing a pill to terminate an unwanted child or through a doctor performing a partial birth abortion. Everyone knows that doctors, and doctors alone, perform these horrific “medical” procedures. You, as an American taxpayer, now fund both doctors and patients. You therefore now fund abortions. Make no mistake about it! Any contention to the contrary is nothing short of a lie.

This bill spits in the face of our founding fathers. It replaces individual responsibility, small government, a government that protects individual freedom, with a new kind of government that provides for its citizens. When government asserts itself into this roll it is contrary to American values and dangerous to our continued success. Our founding fathers knew this. Thomas Jefferson said, “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” This bill starts America down a road that our founding fathers feared. What would they think of congress now? How ashamed might they be?

Most importantly this bill now means that you are less free.  From the time you woke up yesterday morning to the time you went to bed last night Congress stripped you of, without due process, 1/6^th of your economic liberty. Congress took over the health industry last night. The health industry is 1/6^th of our economy. You therefore are now 1/6^th less economically free.

In Washington D.C., the Mecca of world freedom, the liberal left bullied moderates and closed out opposition, successfully absconding with your liberty.  America marches on less free…bruised, battered and beaten; carrying but a flicker of a flame atop the torch of liberty.