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CALIFORNIA HEALTH CARE DEBATE HEATS UP
* Schwarzenegger Reiterates Health Care Goals, But No Details Yet; Significant Press Focus
* New Web Debate on Health Care Hosted by the Sacramento Bee
* New on Health Access Weblog: Gossip on the Gov's Plans; Congress on Drugs; Admin Staff Change

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California
This weekend on NBC's Meet the Press, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reiterated his goals for 2007 of covering all Californians, and reducing health care costs. Yesterday, the Administration held a press briefing reiterating these goals, and promising that the Governor would unveil his health care plan in 41 days--at the State of the State on January 9th, 2007.
These developments have led to more intense press scrutiny of the health care crisis, Governor Schwarzenegger's record to date on health coverage issues, and speculation about his plans for next year. According to these statements, there are no announced details yet with regard to his plan--or even whether he will introduce a specific plan.
On the new Health Access Weblog, we have spotlighted and commented on recent editorials and press accounts. BELOW is a catalog of recent articles in the last two weeks that report on what is known, and what is not known, about Schwarzenegger's health care plans for 2007. For those wanting to track this renewed debate, they are worth reading:
Recent Articles:
Sacramento Bee 11/27
San Jose Mercury News 11/27
San Francisco Chronicle 11/27
California Healthline 11/27
Los Angeles Times 11/25
Sacramento Bee 11/19
Los Angeles Times 11/19
San Francisco Chronicle 11/18
Sacramento Bee 11/15
Recent Editorials:
San Franscisco Chronicle
San Jose Mercury News
Sacramento Bee
Contra Costa Times
The New Blog Debate:
The Sacramento Bee is hosting a new online forum, Crossroads, starting first with the renewed health care debate. Daniel Weintraub, the moderator and libertarian-leaning blog veteran, has invited various health care policy people to contribute initial op-ed style pieces, and then allow them, and the public, to comment and discuss health reform amongst one another.
As Health Access California executive director, I was invited to put the first article up, which already got a quick response from Dr. James Knight, a conservative proponent of Health Savings Accounts. You can read the debate and participate in it here.
Health Access California is a statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition of over 200 groups.
Comments
We are told that we live in a free society. There is no greater test of freedom then being able to leave. In order to understand this idea better, we need to know some words and their definitions. First off, a society is a group of people joined together by mutual consent to deliberate, determine and act for a common goal. Notice how there is no mention of geographical area? Being in a certain geographical area might give you the right to join a society, however it cannot create an obligation to join. See that mutual consent part? Pay attention to it, it will become very important. When I decided to leave Santa Clara County, that was my human right, but imprisoning me and my child because we didn’t want to live there is a crime. Therefore, you need to rethink who are the criminals.
Now what is a statute? Is a statute law? The answer is yes and no. It is not the law, but it is a rule which has the force of law, within a society. Statutes are the laws of a society. Outside of that society, they have no effect at all.
Society is a house party, not a prison. At this party, there is food and music. We have a system set up which is supposed to determine what music is played and what food is served. This system is supposed to be democratic in nature, where the majority decides. Now if you don’t like the food, music, rules of the house, or the system designed to determine those things, you are perfectly free to leave.
Maybe in the house (in your society) you can’t do certain things. Does this mean you can’t do those things once you leave? Of course not! If you are no longer in the house, its rules no longer apply to you. These statutes which your county and state governments calls laws, are all the laws of your society, or the house. Leave your society, and these rules are no longer laws. Those remaining behind will still have to obey them, I will not. Of course, I won’t be able to eat the food or listen to the music (collect benefits), or see my child either. This is very unfortunate and is tantamount to criminals kidnapping and holding my child hostage in your State. No difference. But what parent would want to visit their tortured child knowing that he can not leave? What kind of society would torture a child in front of the parent? A very sick, twisted, brutal regime like the Nazis.
The simple fact is if this is a free society, we have the right to leave. If we do not have that right, it is neither free, nor a society.
If your society was a house party, this is what we would see in California. At the food table, they are serving scraps and crumbs, while we hear them in the back kitchen whooping it up with their supplier friends. The waiters (government workers) are acting more and more like prison guards. There are mirrors everywhere, not enough seats and more than enough smoke. The door leading out of this party has been well hidden and hasn’t been opened for a long, long time. They might have even welded it shut. If we are to have a free society, then every once in a while, someone must leave. This will ensure that people know they are free to do so; someone must guard that door and ensure it opens easily. This will also allow those remaining in the house, to see what its like outside, without venturing forth themselves. If they decide its better outside, then they too are free to leave. If they are too afraid to leave, they will eventually end up in the same prison they sent their victims.
I intended to leave your society and I already did. As a human being born in America, I have the Common Law right to travel anywhere within it or outside of it. I have a U.S. passport that says I have the permission of the Secretary of State of the United States of America. That trumps the California Sixth District Appeals Court. I also have the right to join or not join societies as I see fit. I cannot be forced to consent. If I refuse to consent, none of the statutes everyone else calls laws will have the force of law with me.
I have left your party, not because I reject American society, but because I wish to embrace it. I want a good one. One that is as free as can be. I reject the way in which your society deliberates, determines and acts for the common goal. I am not even sure you have a common goal anymore, and in hindsight, all I see is your slavery and my freedom. Those we elect to provide us with food and music are not doing their jobs. The servants are getting uppity and actually think they are in charge. They stole my family and did so unlawfully. The law enforcement in your society refuses to investigate them and the elected representatives are not doing their jobs. I am sick of the rules of their house, the meager portions and the blaring offensive music. I have opened this long-closed door, and I stand on the other side and wave at you. I will do things lawfully that you cannot do, for you are still in the [crack] house being guarded by pimps.
When I am outside your society and therefore free of its rules, this does not mean there is no law. I do not claim the right to harm another human being, damage property, engage in fraud or extortion or break contracts. I will follow Divine Law. I just wont give statutes created by your county or state governments the force of law. I will achieve this by constructively denying consent to be governed.
When I see that members of your society once again have recourse to the Law and those we elect to ’serve the food’ are serving more then they eat, when these statutes are less deceptive, and I know that the door outside is wide open at all times instead of being so well hidden, when the servants are acting more like servants, when the portions are bigger and there is less reveling in the kitchen, when the county department of public safety are abiding by the law and willing to investigate government agencies, then I will consider rejoining and paying taxes.
In the meantime, when you see me traveling down the road exercising my Common Law right to travel, know I am not breaking the law. Please don’t moan about how we all have to follow the same rules. You are in that society, and I am not. You have consented and I have not. You are free to leave to have more freedom, just as I have done. Also, please do not think I am rejecting those staying behind in your society or in any way rejecting my child. My child knows that, as he was ripped from my arms kicking and screaming, "Somebody help me!" He will never forget that as long as he lives. I didn’t leave him, California TOOK him from me by brutal force. At much risk to myself, I have gone outside to see what the weather was like elsewhere. I am doing it for my child. I will come back to get him when he ages out with a full report. My actions will clear much of the smoke, and I might have broken a mirror or two on the way out. But that doesn’t make me a criminal. It makes you one for trying to keep me and my son against our will.
Do not be angry with me for becoming aware of government deception, or for acting against it. Be angry with those who have hidden this door to freedom from you for so long. Be angry with those who tore apart families and denied citizens recourse to the law. Be angry with the county law enforcement for refusing to investigate a government agency just because it is a government agency. Be angry with your elected representatives for refusing to address crimes within that same agency. Be angry with them for using so much deception in their legislation. Be angry with the media for constantly referring to new statutes as laws, instead of telling you they are nothing more then the rules of their society and that you are free to leave that society if you don’t like the new statutes.
The freedom you will achieve by me opening this door and leaving your society will cost you nothing and it will empower you over those who claim they are your government. If we are to have a free society, this door must be open at all times. There is not one person among you who can lawfully force me to consent to being governed, nor is there one among you who can lawfully apply your society’s statutes to me when I am outside of your society. Your society stole my child. There is no amount of fancy legal words you can call that other than what it was - kidnapping and imprisonment and brutal force/rape of a child and his mother. This has nothing to do with political spin. It is my life. Don’t you forget it.
http://www.msnusers.com/FreeVincentBooth
Posted by: Diane Booth at November 29, 2006 05:58 PM
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