Barack Obama just doesn't understand Linclon.

Last week, the President quoted a line from the first President from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln.  He stated that sometimes the government must step in to do things for the public that they cannot better do for themselves.  Specifically he was referring to healthcare.  I completely agree with him; unfortunately, I don't think the President understands what Lincoln meant.

One of the great things that Republicans (the good ones, anyway), can get from Lincoln is the idea that government should really only do two things for us:  things we could not do better for ourselves and things for which we could not have foreseen and therefore could not have planned.  First, of the things we could not do better ourselves, I would include national defense (I don't know about you, but I can't afford even a fractional share of an F-22), national parks, the highway system, and those things listed in the Constitution under Article I Section 8 (I know, liberals would have to actually read the Constitution).  Second, of the things we could not foresee or plan, it would include natural disasters beyond the scope of what we could foresee.  You couldn't include your multi-million dollar beach home because you know hurricanes happen and can destroy homes, but who imagined that Katrina would flood New Orleans?  There are times when the government needs to offer assistance.  And by extension it would include those people in society who can't help themselves.

Obama, however, misses the point when he tries to argue that Lincoln would have supported healthcare.  Take the second point first.  Don't we all know that some time in our lives, we are going to have health issues, problems, accidents that require a trip to the emergency room?  We can foresee these things.  Just because some people (usually younger, healthier adults) choose not to buy insurance, doesn't mean that government should use taxpayer money to buy it for them.  As for the first point and the one the President was trying to make, the truth is that people can get better healthcare than what the government is going to provide.  Would you trade your Blue Cross plan for medicaid?  Again, there are people who choose not to buy insurance or buy the cheapest plan (although it always amazes me that they have the latest cell phones and PS3 games), but that doesn't mean they couldn't.  They have simply chosen to allocate their resources on something else.

Next time the President wants to quote Lincoln, perhaps he should understand his point first.