10:10 Wellness

A Letter to Mr. Pitts

Leonard Pitts, Jr. is an editorial columnist for the Miami Herald whose writings can be found on Wednesdays and Sundays at the newspaper's website as well as many local newspapers like my Bradenton Herald.  I sometimes read his columns but must admit I don't finish most of them as Mr. Pitts falls too far off the left to  earn my trust.  I read through his entire piece today.  He titled it "The fierce urgency of now:  justice".  Please read so you'll understand the context of my response submitted to lpitts@MiamiHerald.com.

the rest of the planet.

Now

Dear Mr. Pitts,

I appreciate your efforts to enlighten in your column as I often look forward to some of your provocative columns.  Though I've never felt lead to respond to you your column "The fierce urgency of now:  justice", and the recent health care debate has me and many well meaning others feeling unusually provoked.  I don't believe for a moment that my words will in any way persuade you, but I do hope you'll consider another perspective.

My bible includes the same 2,000 (as the Rev. Jim Wallis estimates) verses about the poor and vulnerable.  As any Christian would acknowledge, it is our God-given responsibility and duty to care for those less fortunate.  Jesus' last words to a heart-broken Peter in the last chapter of John were to "feed my sheep", and he asked that three times for emphasis.  Our call can be no clearer.

Jesus' call to ministry speaks to the heart of every believer.  Through his words and teaching we Christians feel compelled to give of our time, talents, and resources to lighten the burden for those unable to care for themselves.  God has blessed me with many resources which I cheerfully share with my church, several Christian ministries, as well as other charities as I can.  It's my sincere desire to increase my wealth so I can contribute more of my gifts to glorify God.

Nowhere in my bible can I find an example of where I'm to take from others to care for the poor.  And that, my new friend, is the heart of the matter.

It's what separates the left from the right, and in all too many cases now, unfortunately, the poor from the rich.  Those espousing social justice think it appropriate to demonize and take from the rich to benefit the poor.  While I don't have any statistics on how much the "rich" actually donate, that amount is between them and God - just as it is for every one of us.  And relatively speaking, 99% of Americans are rich in relation to the rest of the world.

Now  we have a government who seeks to provide health care coverage to every citizen of this republic.  There's no other way to frame this than as an effort to take from one group to pay for another.  While noble in it's intentions, it's premonition is contrary to the heart and soul of what our founders crafted in the constitution.  A constitutional discussion could continue for pages, but I'll close with a true story.

An affluent and very healthy friend of mine chose to drop his health care coverage for a time as his financial obligations grew to be excessive.  His income was well into the six figures, but some costly real estate decisions were draining him of his cash.  Praise God he was protected and was later able to restore his health insurance.  Had a catastrophic medical situation occurred during that gap, he could surely have been wiped out financially.  And for those in that situation, our government will provide in the form of Medicaid insurance.

Let's remember where the decision to drop coverage originated.  My friend made a bad decision as do many others who choose not to insure themselves.  Life is brutally unfair in how it administers tragedies and setbacks.  As a result, some of us are forced to live without some of those things to which we're accustomed.

However, since we live in the richest, most free economy this world has ever known, we have a safety net for the most poor and vulnerable.  For the rest of us, it's our responsibility, not the federal governments, to care for ourselves and our family to ensure for our health and protect ourselves from medical disaster.

I can't find health care in the Constitution

Admittedly, I'm not a very politically savvy cat.  Who's got time for all that when you've got a race to train for?  I do consider myself a good American.  I vote, I pay my taxes, and I pay enough attention to the political scene so as to make good decisions when voting.  What I dislike about politics is how it divides us - friend against friend, husband against wife, etc.  As Americans, though, shouldn't we be in agreement about our Constitution, the blueprint of our great country?

My son-in-law is an architect.  It's fascinating to discuss with him how to design and build things.  He has to have an understanding of engineering, building materials, environment, and the forces and capacities of each.  That way he can design a structure that's safe, usable, and hopefully aesthetically pleasing.

What if a building he designed were later modified without regard to the original blueprint and specifications.  What if someone decided to add a second floor to a building but disregarded the building's original design?  Sounds like a blueprint for failure.

I read a quote this morning that raised my eyebrow:  "You really can't do health reform without allowing the government to compete with private insurers.  Let's not say we're doing health reform without a public option."   These words were spoken by Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic party.

Hmm?  "Allowing the government to compete with private insurers?"  A Constitution expert, or even novice, I am not.  So I looked into it.  Here's a great website:  US Constitution Online.  A little investigation brought back positive memories from school.  The Preamble, the Articles, and finally the Amendments.  It's an amazing document.  It's the blueprint for why America is the greatest nation the world has even known.

And there's not a word about health care.  I suppose one could argue that the Preamble's "promote the general welfare" wording provides wiggle room to insert a program that would encompass 17% of our GDP.  I disagree.

We have problems with our health care.  No denying that.  But we the people need to fix it, not we the government.  You know my solution.  It begins on my homepage.

A Better Plan for Health-Care Reform

From the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer offers a simple, two-part solution to health-care reform that addresses the problems without screwing up what's working.  I especially like the market-driven implications of point #2 that puts more of the responsibility of health care on the consumer.

If you've never linked to the WP, you'll need to enter your email and create password.

Health-Care Reform: A Better Plan

Join me in the fight

The 10:10 Wellness community is comprised of a lot of smart people like you who possess an above average value for health and fitness.  Your choices result in a standard of healthy living not experienced by the average American.  That's good.

 

Our mission here, to lead people into healthy lifestyles and activities they can get excited about, has some very positive consequences - better health and less sickness.  Adopting a lifestyle that maximizes wellness will save us a lot of money in the long term.  That's good too.

 

Because we're in control of our health, we can make decisions that have the greatest impact on our health and our finances.  I so firmly believe in this that I wrote a piece on this almost two years ago.  It was my healthy contribution to the cure for obesity - or any lifestyle disease.

 

Will the market correct obesity

 

As our government considers taking more control of our health care system, I feel provoked to speak (or type anyway).  If you read the post, I hope you'll agree with it that some of the solutions to our health care "crisis", as the politicians like to put it, can be found in the market.

 

As a first step, I signed a petition posted by the organization "Free Our Health Care Now".  They'll probably ask me for money and to participate in events.  I'd rather just go for a run.  If I'm truly an advocate for healthy living though, I'll need to do better than that.

 

If you feel the same, I hope you'll take action, starting with signing the petition.

 

The Petition

From Russia with Love?!

Even the Russians are condemning the decline of American capitalism.  After reading this I feel lead to act.  Hopefully it will be more than just posting an article.

American capitalism is gone with a whimper

I Took a Risk Mr. President

The following was mailed today to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20500 and also copied to the Bradenton Herald.

February 11, 2009 Chris Hughes 1112 86th Ct. NW Bradenton, FL 34209

Dr. Mr. President,

Congratulations on your election victory, and I hope you and your family are adjusting well to your new home in Washington. What an amazing rush that all must be!

Normally I’m not one to say much about politics. Life’s too short and I’m too busy to get involved in the divisiveness of it all. And I’ve never written to a politician. However I read a couple quotes from your Monday news conference that absolutely baffled me. So I wanted to share the perspective of a small business owner in relation to the quotes.

Please accept my apologies in advance if I’ve taken these quotes out of context or if they are misquotes. In your first quote that appeared in my Bradenton Herald newspaper you said:

“The federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life.”

Mr. President, I recently took a risk. Despite all the bad economic news, I hired a new employee who started February 1st. I’m a tiny small business. My company is struggling to increase sales in an economic climate that’s presently cursed by pessimism. But I’m an optimist. I have to be. And I needed an additional employee if I want any chance at gaining new business.

Mr. President, I took another risk this week. I invested in more inventory for my business. At present I truly don’t know how I’m going to pay my tax obligation on the 15th of this month. We are scrambling to get some of our late accounts to pay us so I won’t get behind in my taxes. But I took that risk because there was a good buying opportunity. And I expect that we’ll be able to sell that inventory at such a profit to make that risk worthwhile.

These are the kind decisions and dilemmas that are faced daily by the small business owner. But we accept that because we thrive on the freedom and the potential for gain that exists in operating in a free economy. Sometimes my decisions are bad and I suffer the consequences. But sometimes they’re good, and I generate more profit.

So, Mr. President, with all due respect, I want to express to you that “The Market”, the infinite collection of decisions like those described above, is the only entity with the resources to jolt our economy back to life. And the market is comprised of a lot of little guys like me as well as big guys like GM and Ford.

Have faith in us. Believe in us. You speak a lot about hope, but truly, we, the business owners in this country, are the only hope. We want to succeed. We’re willing to work hard to succeed. We’re willing to make sacrifices to succeed. And we’re even willing to risk failure to succeed. All we ask for is the freedom to make decisions and opportunity to keep our profits.

There was another quote of yours that confused me. You said that “President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy had only helped lead us to the crisis we face right now.” Again, from the perspective of a small business owner, what would I do if my tax burden were reduced? I’d probably hire another employee or buy more inventory. Or I might take more of the profit that resulted from less taxes. And I’d spend it. Perhaps a vacation with my family. Maybe a new car. Whatever the case, wouldn’t my decision on how to spend the extra income benefit our economy?

Mr. President, our economy is clearly now in a recession. We could talk at length about how we got here, but instead we could accept that recessions are like tides occurring naturally as a correction of the market. Sometimes those tides are especially low like now because of unusual circumstances (like our inappropriately fueled housing market).

But if we’re patient enough, and if you believe in us, we will fix this. We need you to believe that we are the ones to jolt this economy back to life. I’m not asking for any program or handout. In fact I believe it’s shameful how many Americans are now turning to the government for solutions. What I’m asking for is the freedom to compete in the marketplace. Isn’t that what makes America the greatest country of all time?

The only request I would make to you Mr. President is to resist the urge to “fix” the economy. I heard that our Federal government is debating on how to spend almost a trillion dollars to stimulate our economy. Where would this money come from? Wouldn’t it come from us, the taxpayers? It’s hard to hire more people and buy more inventory when I have to spend more on taxes.

Mr. President, believe in us. We’ll deliver. I’ll continue to take risks and so will all those other business owners. We just need an environment that’s free of interference and additional tax burdens. If I could make any request it would be for less taxes; but given the amount of indebtedness we possess, I understand that to be unrealistic. Just like a small business or a household, if we continue to spend more than we earn, we’ll eventually go bankrupt. Who are we to think that our government is any different?

Respectfully,

Chris Hughes President and Janitor Homemade Fitness, Inc. Bradenton, FL www.1010wellness.com

cc: The Bradenton Herald 10:10 Talk blog

Look at the bright side

Allan Murray in The Wall Street Journal