While MLK was no fool, the quote you included in your post was foolish. Just because the US federal government spends more on the military (it’s explicit responsibility) than on “social uplift” (nowhere in the US Constitution), that doesn’t mean the “nation” spends more on the military than on helping people. If you added up all the money spent by the federal, state, and local governments, communities, individuals (charity) and organizations on “social uplift,” the number would easily eclipse what the federal government spends on the military (and that’s leaving aside military resources spent directly on helping people). But I guess the quote sounds nice, makes your point for you, and gives you the weight of MLK. So, why bother examining it’s truthfulness?

What people (too many Americans, and probably most of the rest of the world) don’t seem to understand is that the government of the United States was set up specifically to limit the role of the federal government. It is supposed to do things (like spend money on the military) that only it can do, effectively, and stay out of the rest. This was done not only to protect individual liberty but to allow for the flexibility and dynamism that can exist when the states, local governments and individuals have the ability to experiment with creative solutions to various problems. The system has worked wonderfully for 200+ years, taking the country from birth to dominating force in the world in a very short period of time. I would much rather have 50 states or 500 private companies experimenting and trying to come up with the best, most efficient solutions for delivering health care than to have one plan, developed by a group of politically motivated hacks, force a one-size-fits-all system onto the entire country. That doesn’t make me crazy, or greedy, or uncaring about the sick. Just the opposite. I want our system to work the way it’s supposed to, to allow it to deliver the best solution — or, better yet, *solutions* — to help *everyone*.

There are plenty of things the federal government can do, *within it’s intended role*, to help improve the US health care system. Not swallowing, without protest, the president’s ridiculous monstrosity of a plan doesn’t make us a country of idiots.

I absolutely agree that there are other problems with public health care than expanding government. I discuss a few in points 1 and 2, above. However, I do believe that the huge amount of influence that the government would wield over the lives of individuals, should a bill creating a public health system pass, should be the primary concern. Just look at how the government uses the tax code to exercise influence in areas of your life over which they have no constitutionally granted authority.

Just read (some of) your post on the public option. I’ll comment over there.