The Case of Doctor Annie Bukacek

In addition to the immense damage done to political dissidents, such as Doctor Annie Bukacek, by the costly harassment of government investigations, the fact that such political retaliation is even possible in America is perhaps the biggest story here.

Do we really want a government with so much power and so little accountability or transparency? Do we really need laws so numerous and/or vague that everyone is probably unknowingly in violation of some rule?

The result is that a government agency can target individual Americans with costly and time consuming investigations for purely political reasons.

In addition to the costly harassment of the investigation itself, there is a significant possibility that the victim will have unknowingly violated some obscure rule, which the government can then use to justify the investigation, prosecution, and further harassment.

In the case of Doctor Annie Bukacek, suppose that as a provider of care to Medicaid patients, she has not violated some obscure rule, and will only suffer the damage done by the investigation itself. Consider that the cost  investigation itself in both time and dollars will force her to suspend her political leadership roles. Consider that her patients will be reluctant to use her again knowing that retaliatory elements within government will be reviewing their most intimate personal data.

The damage done by such politically motivated investigations is not limited to those individual Americans targeted by government agencies. Consider that other Americans will be more afraid to speak out in the future. Even more perversely, consider that the government is incentivizing doctors to no longer accept Medicaid patients knowing that they will be open to such investigations.

Doctor Annie Bukacek is a local political leader for pro-life organizations who offers to pray with her patients.

As an atheist and pro-choice person myself, I can assure you that if anyone reported Annie Bukacek to the government for such political or religious differences, then that atheist or pro-choice person is a hypocrite who does not respect the rights of others.