Biblical Balance and Health Care Reform

The most substantive reason I know of to reject a health care reform bill is that of excessive expense. We are over-spending by the gazillions at present and the health care reform would be costly and add to our debt most likely. However, we all know that overspending - like any spending - is a matter of priorities. We can afford what we value. While I'm no pacifist and believe we need a reasonably strong military, I do question our priorities in the relation between military and health care spending. We have an overwhelmingly powerful military while many middle class Americans have to declare bankruptcy because of cancer and other illnesses. Its about priorities.

It would benefit us as a nation to lessen the size of our armed forces. This would have prevented our voyeurism in Iraq and saved us billions!. We should focus on our real strength - our economy and our devotion to democracy. We truly have a unique (God-given) role as Americans to exemplify human dignity, freedom and democracy. It seems our Christian values would lead us down this pathway of decreasing priority upon massive military power (Blessed are the peacemakers . . . ) and increasing priority upon providing health care for our populace (based on Jesus' model of healing and his teaching to love your neighbor as you love yourself).

Many Christians insist on an overwhelmingly powerful military and a reduced health care system (we're the only developed nation that has no national plan!). Perhaps we are failing to allow our faith to truly inform our moral choices and priorities. We have lost the blessing of which our Lord spoke to trust in our own horses and chariots.