Senator Schatz Seems Like a Socialist

“’I’m not a socialist,” he insisted. “But I believe that every American deserves health care. I also believe that college should be debt free, and that America must lead boldly on climate change. That doesn’t mean I want America to be Venezuela. It means I want America to be America.”

Let’s examine his statement point-by-point.

“Every American deserves health care”: Every American already has access to what is arguably the best healthcare system in the world.

Retirees and the disabled have Medicare; the poor have Medicaid; those gainfully employed generally have a health insurance plan offered by their employer, if they choose to take advantage of it.

In addition, those living on the fringe of society, including the homeless, can walk into pretty much any medical center in the United States during a medical emergency and be treated, pursuant to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

If there is any single group of Americans who is arguably denied access to adequate healthcare, it’s those who should be at the front of the line: Our nation’s veterans.

But because the Veterans Administration is mired in a bureaucratic swamp, story-after-story gets reported of veterans dying before they can even get an appointment — let alone be treated.

On the other hand, the American taxpayer spends an average $18.5 billion annually on healthcare for undocumented immigrants, as Forbes reported last year.

In short, every person within our borders has access to healthcare, albeit some better than others.

“College should be debt free”: College is already debt free — but you have to work for it.

The notion that higher education should be “free” diminishes the education’s value to the student.

However, if you work your way through college, it takes on a greater, more important value and significance.

Whether the student works part-time while pursuing his studies, or takes advantage of veteran’s or similar benefits, higher education can always be debt-free, or at least nearly so.

“America must lead boldly on climate change”: America already leads boldly on climate change, it’s just that we don’t choose to call it that — we call it maintaining a clean environment.

While the Paris Climate Accord’s signatory nations congratulate one another for being “climate change conscious,” the United States leads the other developed countries for reducing carbon emissions.

But more than that, Schatz and other climate alarmists miss the point: Whether you believe in creationism or the big bang theory, the single thing that has remained a consistent on the planet is change — the Earth’s climate has been changing from the moment of its birth. 1300 to 1870 saw “Little Ice Age.” Climate change is nothing new.

Moreover, the notion that we can somehow intervene and reverse Mother Nature by throwing money at it is delusional.

“I’m not a socialist”: Yes, Senator Schatz, you are. Consider your own words.

You want health care for all, although it’s already universally available. This implies that what you really want is a top-heavy, centralized, single-payer system just like the failing systems in Canada, the United Kingdom, and yes, the Veteran’s Administration.

You want “free” college education for anyone who wants it, which would include pretty much everyone. Why work when you can go to school, join a fraternity, take part in drinking games, and get paid for it?

You want a global organization — working through the Paris Climate Accord — to tell the United States how its citizens should live their lives.

While addressing westerners in 1956, then-Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev was reported as saying, “Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!" which prompted 12 NATO envoys to leave the room.

Seven years later he explained what he’d meant by that phrase. “Of course we will not bury you with a shovel,” he said. “Your own working class will bury you,” referring to the Marxist slogan, "The proletariat is the undertaker of capitalism.”

In short, he predicted America would slowly become communist from forces working within its own country.

Those quotes have since been paraphrased and embellished to have Khrushchev saying that America will be given “small doses of socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have communism.”

Take a look around you, Senator. We’re getting dangerously close to that day right now, thanks to you and other well-intentioned lawmakers.

But it takes more than good intentions to effectively lead. It takes a clear vision, and when that vision is flawed, no ophthalmologist on Earth can correct it.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He’s also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter, who can often be found honing his skills at the range. To read more of his reports - Click Here.