At least for me, there can be little doubt that passage of the new health care reconciliation bill this weekend was a major loss for libertarians, the ailing American economy, the old and sick, the young and healthy, small business owners, America's struggling middle and lower classes, and yes- even the uninsured (who will now have to go through the government to get to the care they need- not really much of an improvement).But the battle is not over. There are still five things you can do:
1. Tell your Representatives how you feel
You courageously and tirelessly held off this assault on our freedom, prosperity, and Constitution for a year. Now that the bill has passed, the Democrats who were responsible for this health care travesty are counting on you to lose interest and move on. Don't give them what they want. Make sure they keep paying the price for the dishonorable thing they did this weekend.
Find your representatives' contact information with this easy-to-use resource from Campaign for Liberty. Be sure to call them. A phone call gets their attention much better than an e-mail. It ties up their office line and their personnel. It uses their resources and makes your presence felt.
If your Congressman or Senator voted for the health care "reform" be sure to tell them you disapprove and will be campaigning against them hard this November. If they voted against it, call to tell them you support their vote and hope they will continue to support market-based reforms to improve health care. If you don't know how they voted, just ask.
2. Donate to liberty candidates
Put some serious pressure on Nancy Pelosi by dropping some money on John Dennis' campaign to defeat her this November. (He has Ron Paul's endorsement, btw) Whether Dennis wins or not, he's doing good work by making her sweat a little. His campaign helps to tie up her resources, use up her money, and waste her time. Any time she spends campaigning in her district is less time she spends making trouble for us in Washington.
Also give to the campaigns of other TRUE patriots who believe in the Constitution, individual liberty, and limited government. Some great ones include Rand Paul, Peter Schiff, RJ Harris, and BJ Lawson. You don't have to live in their districts to give to them. Make sure that the libertarian Republican wins your state or district's GOP primary. Since Republicans will be winning like crazy this November, we have to make sure the right ones will be winning- not RINOs who will vote to expand government.
3. Ask your state representatives to nullify
The health care reconciliation bill that passed this weekend was unconstitutional. Period. When the Federal government oversteps its Constitutional limits, the sovereign states have the responsibility to nullify- to say that the law is unconstitutional and will not be enacted in their state. The Federal government was formed by the states according to the provisions of the Constitution, so it is up to them to determine whether its laws are constitutional or not.
Many state legislatures are already considering legislation to nullify Congress' unconstitutional health care "reform." Find out if yours is and call your state representatives to tell them to support it. If not, tell your representatives to sponsor a bill to do so. As a model, they can use the short, simple bill that my own state senator is sponsoring here in Tennessee: H.B. 3433, which says:
The power to require or regulate a person’s choice in the mode of securing health care services, or to impose a penalty related thereto, is not found in the Constitution of the United States of America, and is therefore a power reserved to the people pursuant to the Ninth Amendment, and to the several states pursuant to the Tenth Amendment. This state hereby exercises its sovereign power to declare the public policy of this state regarding the right of all persons residing in this state in choosing the mode of securing health care services.
Yes we can, patriots! Yes we can!
4. Brace for more train wreck legislation
Now that they've managed to pass this monstrosity of a health care bill without America's approval, using under-handed tactics, secret meetings, corrupt dealings, and parliamentary tricks, the Democrats in Congress will be emboldened to push all kinds of other legislation on us that we don't want.
To keep this from happening we need to stay focused, engaged, and vigilant. Cap and trade legislation and other radical intrusions into our lives are right on the horizon. Now is not the time to rest or think the battle is over. The enemies of liberty sure won't be resting.
5. Push for a repeal
The day after the Democrats' health care bill passed, the Internet was abuzz with conservative commentators calling for a repeal. I think that's a fantastic idea. Some of the provisions of "ObamaCare" won't even go into effect for a few years, so we have time. This is not the end of the world. The legislation was wildly unpopular and we can reverse it with a Republican Congress and White House in 2013.
The only way we can get that to happen in the meantime, is to gain credibility by supporting the nomination and election of true fiscal conservatives and civil libertarians in the Republican Party. We can't keep renominating and reelecting people with a record of ignoring fiscal sanity, Constitutional rule-of-law, and basic individual rights. While making electoral progress in this way, we also need to offer fresh solutions to the many problems that weren't solved by the Democrats' health bill this weekend.
Here's just one.
