renewamerica.com | When the president's socialized health care plan was first introduced in Congress in July 2009, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) of the House Subcommittee on Health delivered a scathing — but common-sense — appraisal of the proposal, labeling it a "travesty."

The congressman's remarks, made July 16, 2009, have since gone "viral" after they were posted on YouTube, where they have now been seen by over 6.9 million viewers.

In his remarks, Congressman Rogers, a former special agent with the FBI in Chicago, said:

"Mr. Chairman, I can't tell you how much I'm disappointed at what a lost opportunity we have to solve a huge problem in health care [affecting] access and quality to some — even by your numbers — 46 million, and that's about 15 percent of the American population.

"Abraham Lincoln said, 'You can't make a weak man strong by making a strong man weak.'

"And so what we've decided to do today is abandon the very principles of America, and say, 'You know what? It's so hard and it's so difficult we're going to punish the 85 percent of Americans who have earned health care benefits as part of their employment, and we're going to punish them and the employers who give it to them to try to cover the 15 percent that don't have it.'

"That doesn't hardly seem like a solution that any of us would come to. Why would we punish the part that's working to cover the part that's not? It's like taking a queen-size sheet and trying to put it over a king-size bed. I will guarantee you that the corners are going to come up."

False choices

Rep. Rogers said that the Democrats' government-run health care plan was being touted as the only choice for reforming America's top-rated health care system, and he pointed out, "It's the Democrats' choice that it's either this or nothing. You present us very false choices."

He added,

"Let me tell you about the trade-offs [of] going to this government-run system, . . . [T]hey can actually go in and disenroll individuals — unprecedented power by the federal government. They can rip you off your own individual plan. It's in the bill.

"Oh, matter of fact, if you're an employer — $250,000 a payroll — payroll that's gross payroll, not much, guess what? They can disenroll your whole company off a certain plan. Tell me that you don't work for the federal government. Unbelievable!"

Less chance of surviving cancer under Obamacare

Comparing facts about Canada's socialized health care system and the current U.S. system — facts that suggest that "if you get . . . cancer, you have less chance of survivability [under Canada's system] than you do in the United States" — Rogers said, "So, what you're going to do is look your mothers and your daughters in the eye and say, "I . . . am going to tell you if you get breast cancer, I'm sorry, honey, you have less of a chance of survival then you did before this bill passed."

"I will not punish any woman in America [with] this kind of system, knowing how great America is. The very innovation of who we are is what got us here. And it wasn't the federal government and it wasn't Washington, D.C. It was individuals who stood up for themselves and said, 'We can do better.'"

Video already 'viral' by Sept. 2009

When Rogers' remarks had drawn almost 2.9 million views in September 2009, Jason Plautz at NationalJournal.com wrote on Sept. 3:

"It's rare that footage from a congressional committee gets much play the first time it's aired, let alone repeat viewings. But somehow, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., has become a YouTube sensation for his opening statement during a hearing about health care reform.

"The nearly four-minute video has drawn almost 2.9 million views. Many are watching the clip on blogs where it's shared, but the link is also being forwarded across the country in e-mails with subject lines like 'a clear look at Obama's health care plan.'"

"How significant is 2.9 million views?", Plautz asks. "Only four of the 1,866 videos on President Obama's YouTube channel have exceeded that number."

Rogers, who represents Michigan's 8th District, has been a member of Congress since January 2001.

To watch Rep. Rogers' speech, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G44NCvNDLfc