I have been
reading a wonderful out-of-print book that explores the freedoms that
we as Americans may expect in this country. The book mentions the four
freedoms that were espoused by President Roosevelt: Freedom of Speech;
Freedom of Worship; Freedom from Want; and Freedom from Fear.
Although this
book was printed in 1974, it quotes an article that was written during
World War II. This article was in response to an attempt to have
chiropractors expelled from a particular state. The article starts
with a question:
“Do you want
to retain your freedom? Of course you do. Who would be so stupid as to
choose to give it up? And yet no one can enjoy the privileges of
freedom without the responsibility of helping to keep it. Furthermore,
one by one, its precious and protective principles can easily be lost
by all of us if we fail to shoulder our part of that
responsibility.”
The article
goes on to site President Roosevelt’s four freedoms as “desirable
and essential to our way of life,” but then adds a twist. As
indispensable as these freedoms are, the article points out, “there
is a fifth freedom which is a part of all of them and yet, in
importance, seems to over-shadow all the rest. This is the ‘Freedom
of Choice,’ which gives us the right to choose our occupations,
residences, friends, religions, opportunities, stations in life, and
many other things equally advantageous and desirable. It is this
little-talked-of freedom which we must seriously consider and
jealously guard, if we are to retain it. Competition in business does
much to keep it clean and healthy. The keener the competition, the
better the service and products we enjoy.”
The article
further defines monopolies as a breeding ground for dishonesty in both
product and service, for without competition there is no fair price
control. At the time the article was written, the government worked
hard to limit monopolies of any kind. However, certain groups had
enough political power that they tried to instill laws to restrict
groups other than their own. These groups were allopathic healthcare
providers.
Can you
imagine what it would be like today without the diversity that we have
in the health field? What would happen if we had no other healthcare
providers unless they were under the AMA umbrella? What if care from
other kinds of healthcare providers was not allowed without a
prescription—if that particular kind of service even survived! A dictatorship
would have emerged that would have had no opposition and no one to
question their methods or veracity. It’s scary if you think about
that, knowing what we know now. We could all be chain smokers, as it
was once promoted as healthy by the medical establishment!
As we look
around our beautiful world, we see many opposing natural forces
working in harmony for the betterment of creation and man. Are we now
wiser than nature or God to eliminate opposing ideas and ways of
providing service or product? How is our freedom of choice preserved
without any opposing views or alternatives?
The health of
our nation does not equal the money that is thrown at the problem,
especially when we compare our own health with that of other nations.
In China, the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing
repeatedly and expecting a different result.” Our health care is
broken. Some might say that what we are doing is insane.
The above
quoted article ends with a question that still applies today: “With
such preponderous evidence as this existing, unquenched maelstrom of
sickness and disease thus tauntingly pointing its lethal finger at all
who profess skill in the healing arts, has any one group made progress
sufficient to justify the stand that they and they alone should be
entrusted to handle a condition so grave and so alarming? Regardless
of which group it may be, whether Allopathic (MD), Osteopathic (DP),
Chiropractic (DC), or Naturopathic (ND), can any be allowed
dictatorship over America’s health? You have only one recourse to
prevent such a great tragedy: Whenever it shows its evil head as a
political issue regardless of its disguise, see that your vote insures
for you the fifth freedom, the freedom of Choice, because it vitally
concerns your most priceless possession, Your Health.”
Although
written 50 years ago, this truth is as applicable today as it was
then. However there is a change in the players. The major players
today are no longer the doctors and other healthcare providers alone.
Today’s major monopoly makers are the insurance companies, drug
companies and even the once protector—our government, with its
mandating of national programs funded by taxes and offered as a free
gift to We, the people. You may ask what is wrong with programs that
help the helpless. Think about this: with no choice, we have no fifth
freedom. Without choice, we have no responsibility and no
accountability; and, without that, we have no ownership and no hope!
The fifth
Freedom of Choice relates directly to our health. Know who you will be
voting for and what they feel about that freedom. Are you willing to
give up your freedom of choice for a political party or social
program? If we do not stand up for our freedoms, we are no different
than the frog that jumped in the cool water in the pot on the stove
and did not notice the flame under it. He lost his freedom as he
boiled in the pot for someone else’s dinner.
Dr.
Michael K. Olkjer is a chiropractor who loves to see his patients
take charge of their health and conquer lifelong problems.
He is the owner of Active Family Chiropractic, Inc., 337-3422.
