J. Reuben Clark, Jr. on Health Care Reform

July 24, 2009 in Health Care by Greg | No comments

Following President Barack Obama’s press conference the other night on health care reform, J. Reuben Clark, Jr.’s comments now seem long forgotten. Writing almost 50 years ago he stated:

Health_Care_ReformWe are constantly urged to adopt policies supposedly new and untried and discovered by our intellectual pseudo giants who either do not know their history or are deliberately misrepresenting it. The first Roman Code ever framed in the history of Rome—the Theodosian Code of 438 A.D.—contained provisions, as summarized by scholars, including such “ ‘modern’ problems as price fixing, black markets, excessive taxation, socialized medicine, conscription of labor, anti-Semitism, inflation, corruption in government bureau, the relation between church and state. Students of modern social and economic legislation, state controls, and the development of the ‘welfare state’ will find that many modern concepts and practices derive from the patterns outlined in the Code.1

According to one source, the codified legislation of the Roman Empire set up under Theodosius II in 438 A.D.,

. . . presents perhaps the best, certainly the most realistic, picture in all literature of a full-blown socialized state.2

Far from being a “progressive” plan, today’s health care reform has its basis in the decaying Roman Empire welfare state legislation of over 1,500 years ago.

The day after the press conference, Calvin Woodward and Jim Kuhnhenn challenged key assertions of Obama’s plan.3 It is unfortunate that today’s political leaders who should know better continue to exhibit A False Solicitude for the Unfortunate in society.4

Sources:

  1. “The Welfare State – Creeping Socialism”. Inspired Constitution. 24 July 2009. Originally published in The Church News, 9 April 1960.↩
  2. Darlington, Oscar G. “Review of The Theodosian Code and Novels and the Sirmondian Constitutions by Clyde Pharr; Theresa Sherrer Davidson; Mary Brown Pharr”. JSTOR. 24 July 2009.↩
  3. “The AP Fact Checks Obama on Health Care”. 23 July 2009. The Foundry. 24 July 2009.↩
  4. See for example, “Sen. Harry Reid on Health-Care Reform“. 10 June 2009. The Washington Post. 24 July 2009; Mapes, Jeff. “Smith Endorses Wyden Health Care Bill; D’s Groan“. 26 June 2008. OregonLive.com. 24 July 2009. See also Wyden, Ron and Robert F. Bennett. “How We Can Achieve Bipartisan Health Reform“. 5 Aug 2009. The Washington Post. 23 Aug 2009.↩

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Tags: Health Care, J. Reuben Clark, Legislation, Socialism