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It’s Not about Contraceptives – It’s About Power!

“POWER, POWER, POWER, POWER — never forget that it is from a fascination of the limits and manipulations of Power that keep people interested in this book.”1 These are words from Francis Ford Coppola’s notebook that he used in preparation for filming The Godfather, based on the book of the same name written by Mario Puzo.

If you want to see a microcosm of modern-day politics, The Godfather is the place to start. It has all the characteristics of a government; it only lacks legitimacy. American politics has gone the way of The Godfather. The oath that our representatives took to uphold the Constitution means nothing.

The President’s latest attack on the American people by mandating that employers cover contraception is a blatant attack on the Constitution and the freedom of ALL Americans, not just those who hold a particular religious view on contraception. His so-called compromise that insurance companies pay for birth control pills is one of the most audacious power grabs in the history of government. What’s next?

Will grocery store owners be required to give milk and bread away free to people who claim a need? Will contractors have to give one home in ten away free to families that can’t afford to purchase one? We’re already doing a lot of this through wealth confiscation.

The following is from Dr. Kevin Clauson, Professor of Politics & Government and Director of the William Jennings Bryan Center for Law and Public Policy.

Have I missed something regarding this controversy over free contraceptive coverage in employee health care insurance policies ? Now the President has said those employers who object on religious grounds don’t have to but the insurance companies still have to provide it. I’m still mystified. WHY HAS NO ONE (THAT I’VE HEARD) POINTED OUT WHAT I THINK IS OBVIOUS: WHY SHOULD THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BE ABLE TO REQUIRE EITHER AN EMPLOYER OR AN INSURER TO COVER ANYTHING, ESPECIALLY FOR “FREE” (AND REMEMBER “THERE AIN’T NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH” — ALL INSURED FOLKS WILL HAVE TO ABSORB THE COST) ? It is blatantly unconstitutional! Why should any “group” get special favors by government? (And by the way, what do contraceptives have to do with “women’s health”? When I think of health I think of cancer or heart disease or diabetes. NOT a contraceptive provision.) There is no law prohibiting the provision and purchase of contraceptives. Indeed why should any government be involved in health care provision at all ? The “religious liberty/conscience” argument is not illegitimate; but it does obscure the BIGGER issue. The federal government has no Constitutional authority to mandate any kind of insurance or insurance coverage, let alone at no cost (supposedly).

The only good that can come out of free contraceptives is that enough liberals will buy and use them. I would be willing to pay for that myself. Is there a fund I can contribute to?

  1. Jenny M. Jones, The Annotated Godfather: The Complete Screenplay with Commentary on Every Scene, Interviews, and Little Known Facts (New York: Tess Press, 2007, 2011), 20, 25. []
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