Days of Change
Day 358 – Love Don’t Cost a Thing | October 28, 2009
It’s another Health Care rant.
I was inspired by a Michelle Malkin post about children being used as health care shills. David Axelrod even used his disabled daughter on 60 Minutes in a brilliant marketing ploy. The focus is that we all (Americans, the planet) deserve health care.
I have two issues with this. First of all, health care for children is pretty affordable. If they were taken as a single group without regard to condition, the cost is relatively small per individual. That’s why family health plans can be cheaper per individual than individual plans. This could be solved with minimal regulation of the health care industry.
The other issue is more problematic. Do people deserve health care? This question is an example of the question of rights. A constructionist would say that our human rights, independent of government, are to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Then there is the progressive FDR model, from a concept he never completed, about a “second bill of rights.” Glenn Beck actually brought this into the mainstream after the original speech was discovered.
FDR proposed that as Americans we deserve the “right” to a home, a job, (that pays a decent wage) medical care and suitable leisure time. How would people be given these rights? Unlike the other kind, all of these are rights given by the state and not the Creator. All of them also require money.
After the last few decades of government subsidized college and medicine, we learned something. Those two areas of the economy have had the greatest increase in prices. When demand goes up and no opportunity cost exists, the costs increase to spread a consistently small supply around.
If everyone deserves a job and someone can’t find it, the conclusion is that one must be provided. How would that job be assigned? The best way would be according to the person’s abilities. What would be the pay? It would logically be according to their need. Put it all together, it spells K-A-R-L-M-A-R-X.
Most countries that have “universal” health care also have socialized medicine. That means the doctors work for the state and the hospitals are run by the state. You know how it’s supposed to cost $2 trillion to run health care in this country and it boils down to $7,200 per person while most countries spend only $4,000? That happens because most socialized systems in the world are running deficits. That $4,000 per person is probably over $5,000 when deb load is added in. The US still has a (dwindling) Medicare surplus. The quality of our care is still the best. That’s why people from around the world come to our hospitals. It’s also why some of that $7,200 per person includes non-Americans. It sure as hell includes millions of Mexicans.
From a purely practical perspective, it is simply not possible to give people all the things they “deserve” to have. Even now, this country has an economy of $14 trillion and a debt of $11 trillion. As citizens, we literally have $10,000 each to live on now. The entire United States is below the poverty line. We not only spent too much, we owe too much.
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1. I was raised in a family and community that revered FDR. Our family Dt. kept a photo of FDR in his waiting room long after the President had died. It took me until three weeks ago to understand that FDR has served as the prototype for Mancuirian Candidate obama.
2. I have also come to consider that Ebenezer Scrooge was not all wrong, and that perhaps the wrong side won the Civil War.
Comment by Mary — October 28, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
Mary, you aren’t alone.
Comment by mcnorman — October 29, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
Axelrove believes he is being a parrot. However, he would be a good father if HE took care of his daughter, or at least had a closer hand at caring for her IN D.C. Not Chicago. That is a cop out on responsibility leaving your child elsewhere for someoene else to take care of, becasue of some percieved belief that your job is so important.
Comment by thetownecrier — October 29, 2009 @ 12:52 pm
Mary, when someone as experiencd and seasoned comes to startling conclusions, well now THAT is earth shattering.
Comment by thetownecrier — October 29, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
LOL, crier.
At my age, I can–and do–say anything I want. And I say that we’ve been brainwashed by leftists in the classroom and the media since WW I. It got worse after 1929, plunged us into the Vietnsm era, and is the foul ooze of the oba-swamp.
Comment by Mary — October 30, 2009 @ 1:24 am
There are plenty of countries with socialized medical service that still has bribery happening under the table in order to receive timely and adequate care.
Comment by frankly — October 31, 2009 @ 10:50 am