When everything is stripped away, that’s what the Democrats’ health care proposals consist of. The Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner makes a compelling argument to start over in this USA Today op-ed. The first thing that caught my attention was this cautionary note:

Problematic as our system often is, it is possible to make things worse.

Shortly thereafter, Tanner offers this ‘multi-count indictment’ against the Democrats’ legislation:

All the bills making their way through Congress start from the same failed premise: They would put the government in charge of one-sixth of our economy and some of the important personal and private decisions in our lives.

They would force people to buy a government-designed insurance package or face a penalty. They would establish incentives and structures that could eventually lead to the rationing of care. Some versions would force millions of workers into a government-run plan.

And they would do so at enormous cost to the American people in terms of higher taxes, greater debt and increased insurance premiums. Even the cheapest bill costs more than $800 billion ($2 trillion if off-budget costs are included) over the next decade. Americans would end up paying more, but getting less.

If you’re ok with a government that’s given you Katrina relief and the failed stimulus bill, then the Democrats’ health care bills are for you. However, if you’re expecting results for the taxes you pay, then it’s time to stand up and be heard. Without your passionate and coherent arguments, the Democrats will ram this down our throats.

If you’re ok with higher individual taxes on the middle class and small businesses, then the Democrats’ plan is for you. If you’re ok with higher medical expenses, then the Democrats’ plan is for you. If you’re ok with getting penalized because you didn’t buy the things that Big Brother’s told you to, then the Democrats’ plan is for you.

If, however, you’re upset that the Democrats are making the most personal decisions of your life for you, then it’s time we expressed our rage. If you’re upset with the fact that the Democrats are about to turn a good system into a terrible system, then you can’t sit idly by. It’s time to stand up and let Washington know that you aren’t apathetic anymore, that you won’t tolerate the Democrats’ ignoring you.

Do nothing if you aren’t bothered by this statistic:

Government regulations add more than $169 billion annually to the cost of health care.

I’m not suggesting total deregulation but this is just plain nuts. Experts predict that prices would drop if we got rid of the regulations that haven’t been well thought out.

But the problems facing our health care system stem not from too little government control, but too much. Government regulations add more than $169 billion annually to the cost of health care. Other regulations limit competition between insurers and providers by, for instance, prohibiting people from buying insurance across state lines. Government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are trillions of dollars in debt and are models of waste, fraud and inefficiency.

And our current tax laws penalize people who don’t receive insurance through their work, meaning that if you lose your job, you lose your insurance.

The bills now before Congress don’t fix these problems. They simply pile on new mandates, regulations, taxes and subsidies. No amount of tinkering, or budgetary sleight of hand, can make them better.

I’ve said for days now that deficit neutrality wasn’t the right benchmark to measure the Democrats’ legislation by, that it was important to consider what the total cost of the legislation is and to find out if the Democrats’ legislation does anything to reduce costs to families, companies and insurers.

I can state with total certainty that that won’t happen with this legislation. Unfortunately, I can state with total certainty that each of the Democrats’ bills will raise taxes on the middle class as well as the rich, on the small businesses and on manufacturers.

If you can enthusiastically support that type of ill-conceived legislation, then you’re reading the wrong blog. If, however, you insist on fewer regulations in exchange for being personally accountable for your health insurance and health care outcomes, then it’s time to stand up and fight the intelligent fight.

If you’re opposed to the Democrats cutting $404,000,000,000 from the Medicare budget over the next decade, then you need to stand up and take the fight to corridors of power in Washington, DC. You need to melt the Capitol Hill switchboard down. You need to tell the people who work for us that they’d better start paying attention to us or they can start planning their retirement.

Technorati: Mandates, Taxes, Subsidies, Excise Tax, Fines, Penalties, Medicaid, Medicare Cuts, Uninsured, Max Baucus, Democrats, Cato Institute, Liberties, Michael Tanner

Cross-posted at California Conservative