While the Health Care Reform debate rages and Congress inches closer to passing something, now would be a good time to review other areas in which our government has strongly encroached or outright took over. These experiences should tell us something about how likely things will turn out well in the long run.
In response to the economic crisis, Congressional Democrats unveiled H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the Stimulus bill. After several weeks of debate, a $787 billion package filled with an array of funding for government healthcare, education, energy, and infrastructure programs was agreed upon.
The Stimulus bill passed on a party line vote, with all but three Senate Republicans opposing the bill, and was signed into law on February 17, 2009. I strongly opposed H.R. 1 for three primary reasons.
