The Ten Commandments and Obamacare

          "And He declared unto you His covenant, which He
          commanded you to perform, [even] ten
          commandments; and He wrote upon two tables of
          stone".   - Deuteronomy 4:13

And so the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments - all of 328 words - written on two stone tablets for His people to keep. The words were plain, simple and clear. They have stood the time and were understood by all.

This month we celebrate the one-year anniversary of  Patient Protection and Affordable Act, also known as Obamacare. Printed in a dizzying volume of almost 2000 pages and about 400,000 words, it's impossible to find an average American on the street who understands exactly what is in it.

Nobody is disputing the fact that our healthcare system needs reform. Most people like it that pre-existing conditions will no longer be a deterrent for coverage and young adults will be allowed to stay in their parents' policies until the age of 26. But do we really need to commit one-sixth of our economy for these?  The new healthcare law is so sweeping and broad that it could end up messsing up everything it touches before it even goes into full effect. The expansion of Medicaid only puts further strain on the budget on bankrupt or near-bankrupt states. Instead of not adding a dime to our deficit, the CBO now projects that Obamacare would create a budget hole of $170 billion. And the promise that we can keep the doctors and the policies we want? We can pray as hard as we can, call it rationing or death panel, but  our health care choices now lie in the hands of the bureaucrats, not with doctors and patients.

The debate rages on. In the midle of all this, there is just one question to ask: why are waivers being given out to select groups? Ironically these the groups that lobbied hard for Obamacare's passing - unions, unsurance companies, business. One of its most ardent supporters, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) even spoke out that it might do his state good to be exempted from this law.

Washington would do well to look to the Ten Commandments in making laws: keep it simple. We could only hope and pray that our government officials would always remember that if the new healthcare reform is to benefit all of the American people, there is no need for waivers, hidden amendments or backroom deals to grease it to passing into law. Keeping it simple, it's just plain common sense.

Welcome to Praying 4 Common Sense

"As thy days, so shall thy strength be" -  Deuteronomy 33:25

Politics and religion do not mix, we often hear, but I believe that they can and must co-exist. Our faiths, no matter who and where we worship, provide us with moral compass that guides us to do unto others what you would have them do unto you, to treat each other with respect and a tolerant heart. In government we expect our leaders to do what is right, fair, prudent and sensible.

I sure am not alone to be disturbed that America's political discourse is becoming too divisive with too heated rhetoric, with opponents too casually compared to Hitler and other murderous characters in history, with blatantly biased media serving as mouthpieces of one political party instead of deliverers of plain, fair and truthful news. It crossed the line when journalists and pundits accused Sarah Palin and the Tea Partiers of murder in their hands, without a hair of evidence,when the mentally unstable Jared Loughner went on a shooting rampage in Tucson. And even after investigations revealed no connection at all, the same accusers never apologized but persisted on their accusations. A low point in our national discourse, indeed. It is at times like these when people in elected offices become oblivious to their own hypocrisy, and when things just don't make sense anymore, that like most God-fearing people, I close my eyes, clasp my hands, get down on my knees and say a prayer.

I pray for tolerance that we may respect others' differences in opinions, affiliations and ways of life.  I pray for civility where everybody can duke it out in the battle of ideas but ends the discussions with handshakes. I pray for decency where words are not used, distorted and twisted to destroy a person. I pray for common sense for our elected officials to protect and defend the laws of the land, to live within our treasury's means, to deliver what they promise and to not promise what they do not intend to deliver.

I don't lose faith and hope because this is America: exceptional, land of the free and home of the brave. This is America that overcame the Civil War. This is America that corrected the cruel sin that is slavery. This is America that rose above 9/11. As her days, so shall America's strength be. As her challenges, so shall America's resilience be. As her tribulations, so shall America prevail.

So long as we keep our prayers and old-fashioned common sense, America shall be fine.