In a manner of speaking, America has yet again been attacked. Not from terrorist and extremist groups from abroad but from inside, by Congress itself. The bastardization of this so called ‘healthcare’ reform bill has been laden with corruption, insider deals, and an undertone that can be perceived as unconstitutional. Add-ins such as the so-called “Cornhusker Kickback” and the aptly named “Louisiana Purchase” bought the votes of Nebraska’s Ben Nelson and Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu, both openly moderate Democrat Senators initially opposed to the bill. Corruption from the start plagued this bill and created an aura of deception and misinformation. Regardless of these facts, the healthcare bill initially passed the house by seven votes. This bill was tacked onto a budgetary measure, thereby avoiding a filibuster in the senate, undoubtedly a last ditch effort to circumvent the will of the American people.

I have always been under the impression that our senators and representatives work for us; as I am a registered voter and an American citizen, I am your boss. What gives you the right to compel me to purchase healthcare coverage? Under the XIII Amendment to the United States Constitution, protection from involuntary servitude is granted. Although I am well aware that the intent behind this was to outlaw slavery, the principle can loosely hold through to the healthcare reform bill. Compelling any person to perform an act, and by act, I do mean purchase healthcare coverage, could be deemed unconstitutional. This argument is not entirely out of left field, as some 13 states have filed suit: Florida, South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Michigan, Utah, Pennsylvania, Alabama, South Dakota, Louisiana, Idaho, Washington, and Colorado.

This staunch opposition is not to healthcare reform, but to this partisan bill steamrolled through Congress. It is clear that in America, the rising cost of healthcare and the exclusion of some 47 million Americans from care is a titanic problem. The debate is no longer regarding whether or not the healthcare system is broken, it is clear that is the case. Rather, the debate stems over how to effectively fix the problems associated with it. Partisanship in a congress plagued by low approval ratings felt the need, and I do stress need, to ‘fix’ the healthcare problem in America. Spending over 1 trillion dollars, and yes that is trillion with a ‘t’, on a bill that will frankly do little in the way of solving the inherent issues is absolutely ridiculous. It is ironic that the Democrats chastised the Bush administration for ‘wasteful’ spending – I am not debating the policies of the Bush Administration, moreover providing a comparison – and now with one year of Obama, healthcare and the bailout packages have effectively bankrupted the country.

The tyranny of the triumvirate – Obama, Pelosi, and Reid – must not be allowed to continue in its current form. Massachusetts, a state known for its support of the Democratic Party, recently elected Republican Scott Brown to fill former Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat. If this is not enough of a wakeup call from the American people to Washington, I frankly do not know what is. All Americans want is a bi-partisan, well researched, and practically thought out solution to the healthcare problem. Forcing this biased legislation down everyone’s throat is alienating supporters and polarizing the country. It would be truly nice, for once, if the legislators actually read a bill before they vote on it, or better yet actually do a little research into the long term effects of said legislation. Remember, November is coming up fast; there at the ballot box is where the final vote on healthcare will be cast.