Hope 'n' Change

Culture
Hope 'n' Change: ObamaCare's Assault on Religious Liberty
The Obama administration's disregard for religious freedom is well documented, so it should come as no surprise that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is, via ObamaCare, ramming abortion down the throats of religious people. Last August, Sebelius offered for public comment an "interim final rule" that would require private health care companies to provide certain "preventive services" without a deductible or co-pay. These services include sterilization and contraceptive drugs, such as Plan B and Ella. This may not seem a big deal to some companies, but to religious entities, it is a major affront.

Proponents of the rule claim that these entities would be exempt. However, while this may be technically true, the term defines "religious institution" so narrowly that it would not apply to most faith-based schools, hospitals or charities. These institutions now face the prospect of forced provision for services that contradict their beliefs. To add insult to injury, those that do fit into the religious institution exemption must refer their insureds to other places (e.g., Planned Parenthood) for contraceptive and sterilization services.

Although several religious leaders are bringing suit, Sebelius has refused to broaden the definition. Instead, she gave them an extra year -- until August 2013 -- to "adapt." This is a slap in the face, but again, it's nothing new. All we can do is hope that by that time we will have a new administration, one that seeks to rebuild and maintain this country's institutions instead of tearing them down.

Where do we go from here?

From the Patriot Post:

"Mr. Alexander, I'm a young Christian from a former socialist country, the Czech Republic. I subscribe to The Patriot Post and read it with great interest. My homeland once had Christian roots but in recent history, has been dominated by Nationalist Socialism and Marxist Socialism. Could you please help me to understand what the difference between 'patriotism' and 'nationalism' is? Here in Europe, anyone who puts his country first is called a nationalist. This term is pejorative. Thank you for the work you do. I would like to help my fellow Czechs to love God and our country as you do yours." --Czech Patriot

Editor's Reply: These words have different meaning both over time and geographically. Generally speaking, Nationalism refers to a blind allegiance to the state, no matter what the nature of the state may be. American Patriotism, as we use it appropriately, refers to a steadfast devotion to the fundamental principle of our nation's Founding, individual Liberty as "endowed by our Creator," and the extension of that principle to our posterity.

"In (Mark) Alexander's exposition on Democratic Socialism, there were a number of budget perspectives that I had never seen before. One of the most troubling was this one: 'In 2010, central government spending in the U.S. was almost 41 percent of our nation's GDP -- by far the highest it has been since WWII. In the last decade of the Soviet Union's existence before its collapse, the USSR's central government spending peaked at 49 percent of GDP.' U.S. government spending as a percent of GDP is on track to equal that of the USSR a the time of their collapse? Every American needs to read that stat. Please advise your source." --Crimson Economist

Editor's Reply: This information was provided directly by Andrei Illiarionov, former senior economic policy adviser to the Russia president, Vladimir Putin.