Bill Archer: “Mr. Speaker, two principles have forever guided our Nation, individual freedom and liberty. As a democratic Nation whose…”

“Mr. Speaker, two principles have forever guided our Nation, individual freedom and liberty. As a democratic Nation whose strength derives from its people, we have achieved high degrees of each, unsurpassed by any nation in all history. It is no wonder that people around the globe want to come here and be called Americans. We are the envy of the world. Now, as we consider a plan to protect and strengthen a free people who worry about the health care needs of themselves and their families, we must do so with our guiding principles in mind. Our Nation's health care system is the best in the world. Americans do not travel abroad to get health care, but visitors come here from all over the world, to the Mayo Clinic, to Mount Sinai, and, yes, to my own City of Houston to the Texas Medical Center Memorial, because we are the best. The reason our health care system is the best is because it is based on capitalism, on choice and on individualism. That is why the one aspect of the bill before us today that gives me great pride is the expansion and the unfettered opportunity for Americans to choose medical savings accounts, free and unencumbered.”