Don’t worry, you aren’t about to tune into a political talk show. On this program Shawn Boonstra challenges us to think about America’s Affordable Care Act—or, Obamacare—and how it may include each of us in surprising ways. Politics aside, we’ll ask good questions about human nature, and about some of the consequences arising from our worst assumptions. 

<p>Don’t worry, you aren’t about to tune into a political talk show. On this program Shawn Boonstra challenges us to think about America’s Affordable Care Act—or, Obamacare—and how it may include each of us in surprising ways. Politics aside, we’ll ask good questions about human nature, and about some of the consequences arising from our worst assumptions. </p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Voice Of Prophecy

Shawn Boonstra

The Problem with Government

I'm going to take a bit of a risk on the program this week because we're going to be talking about the Obamacare rollout.

And whether you're a Democrat or Republican or Independent, maybe you don't even live in America, I think you're going to want to hear this because this whole issue might just include you in ways you didn't even consider.

And don't worry, I'm not going to get political.

I'm not going to question who you voted for or who you didn't vote for.

I'm just going to ask some good questions about human nature and some of the consequences that come from our worst assumptions.

At this point, America is well underway with a new law known as the Affordable Care Act, and it is the law of the land.

And Given the fact that health care represents one-sixth of the American economy, this is a law that's affecting absolutely everybody.

Some Americans are getting health care for the first time in their lives, while other people are losing the health care they wanted and getting stuck with something they didn't want.

And because your health and your pocketbook are 2 issues that are deeply personal, deeply emotional, you probably have some distinct feelings about the impact Obamacare is having.

And to be honest, I've got some pretty powerful emotions about the new health care law myself, especially having been born in Canada and having grown up under a type of socialized medicine.

But at the head of this program I promised you that we're not going to debate the merits or the demerits of this new health care plan because there are lots of other places to do that.

All you have to do is just go on Twitter or some major news network for a few minutes.

You will find lots of people with strong feelings 1 way or the other.

What I want to look at is the whole issue from a purely human perspective to see what we can learn about ethics and morality and human behavior and human nature in general.

I want to look at the way we govern ourselves and some of the decisions we make as a civilization.

And of course, I also want to see what the Bible says about it.

So let's begin with a really famous soundbite, which might just be the most memorable moment in this whole health care debate.

When millions of people suddenly discovered that the health care law didn't just affect people who had no insurance, it also had some pretty serious ramifications for people who did have it.

And, of course, I am talking about that famous statement the president made all the way back in 2009 at the AMA.

He said it on June 15 and now I'm gonna quote the president.

I guess I could have gone and gotten a soundbite and played it for you but instead I'll do my very best to impersonate President Barack Obama and you'll notice that he sounds exactly like me, but here's what he said quote I know there are millions of Americans who are content with their health care coverage They like their plan and most importantly they value the relationship with their doctor They trust you And that means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people.

I continue to quote, if you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.

If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan.

No 1 will take it away, no matter what." Now, of course that became famous because it wasn't true.

The President was a little too emphatic in that promise, because as we rolled into the end of 2013, millions of Americans suddenly got letters from their insurance companies telling they couldn't keep their plan.

And in 2014, more Americans suddenly discovered that their doctors didn't want the new health care plan, or some of the doctors even stopped taking insurance altogether.

Some of them went into concierge practices, or a cash-only practice, or something that just removed all the paperwork and the problems of changing.

So it turns out you actually could lose your doctor or your insurance.

Now this president is hardly the first 1 to make a mistake, And he's hardly the first 1 to stretch the truth or make an overly ambitious promise.

And needless to say, his credibility and popularity did take a bit of a beating at the end of 2013, and people's confidence in human government went down a notch or 2.

And that's after they lost a lot of confidence in the House and the Senate also.

Popularity is always really high after an election, and then it drops.

What's amazing is the way people get all revved up at election time, and they become absolutely certain, or mostly certain, that this time, this new president, this new Congress, is really going to make a difference.

This will be the time when we finally solve all the world's problems.

And then, like clockwork, 2 years later, 4 years later, 6 years later, we realize this administration, this House of Representatives, this Congress, it's just as faulty as the last 1.

We go back to the polls, sometimes in record low numbers because voting starts to feel futile.

And then we get all excited because we elect another new person, and this time it's all going to be different.

And even if you live somewhere else, Canada, Europe, South America, you know it happens in your country too.

Every time we tell ourselves it's going to be different, and then it's not.

And somewhere underneath all the excitement, you know that.

You know you're going to be disappointed eventually.

So let's do a little bit of thinking in the wake of another political disappointment.

Let's think about the way we structure our civilization.

What can we actually learn about human nature?

Well, for 1 thing, we need to remember that human government is just that.

And you can't wait for people to fix everything that's wrong in your life.

People have been waiting on government to make life better for thousands of years, and for thousands of years it didn't happen.

The biggest problems we faced all the way back in history are still the biggest problems we face today.

People get sick, people go broke, people commit crimes, people suffer injustice, people still die.

When it comes to the really big stuff in life, we haven't solved a thing.

So frankly, if you've been naively waiting for government to make your life better, it might be time to rethink that strategy.

I mean, just think about the people who run our government.

They are just as faulty, just as selfish, just as prone to mistakes as you.

And if you really thought about that a lot, you might never get another moment's sleep.

Probably all terrified that regular human beings are given so much power over so much money and over so many lives.

These are people who also come to work groggy, just like you.

These are people who make quick decisions because they're angry or because they have a headache, just like you.

These are people who dig in their heels on stupid issues because of pride, just like you.

We are always governed by people who couldn't possibly do a perfect job.

And it doesn't matter how much education or how much experience they have, they're still just human beings.

Buckley who said, I would rather be governed by the first 2, 000 names in the Boston phone book than by the 2, 000 people on the faculty of Harvard.

Now, of course, that was a conservative taking a pot shot at Harvard, but he does raise an interesting point.

They are guaranteed to make some pretty big mistakes.

And you can't help but wonder, sometimes, if it really matters who you elect.

Now look, I'm not saying this to be negative.

I would be scared if I were running the government, because I know my limitations.

And I know that somebody has to do it, and we have to exercise a level of faith.

And what I think is absolutely fascinating is how shocked everybody seems to be when the government lets them down.

We're shocked when a president can't keep his promise or won't do it.

We seem surprised when Congress brings us to the edge of another fiscal cliff and people dig in and won't budge from either side.

And we get all out of sorts when people lie to get something done.

And I'm glad we do get upset because lying is lying.

I mean, let me ask you, what did you really expect?

If those of us who grew up with Western civilization were paying attention to the advice given in the Old Testament, this wouldn't surprise us at all, because Israel was explicitly told what would happen if they moved away from God's direct leadership and trusted human government instead.

Now, don't misunderstand where I'm going with this.

I'm absolutely not advocating for a theocracy.

I am not suggesting that we blur the lines between church and state.

I believe with all my heart that's an unhealthy mix, And I know that some Christians will disagree with me, but I think the separation is healthy.

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The Problem with Government

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