IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
On Line Edition
Week of November 2, 2009
# 5 – “Enough is enough!”
If you can’t lift 30 pounds, then don’t attempt to pick up the newly revised, proposed Health Care Reform bill. As a new recipient of Medicare, I cringe to think of the changes looming if this massive pile of paper passes in Congress.
Defined, ration means to restrict the amount of something (usually a commodity in short supply) that an individual is allowed to buy, consume, or use. That the government and its minions would control of whom should receive what care should make every senior citizen shudder.
The vast majority of American seniors paid into the system their entire working lives. Now, at the hands of politicians eager to grab one-sixth of the American economy, all retirees teeter on the precipice of care denied due to age. Panels will determine who deserves care and who does not.
Ironically, their very longevity is precisely what bolstered the system from the “get go”. If our seniors hadn’t been so work brittle… if they had sat on their backsides and relied on government programs for their livelihood… if they hadn’t adhered to a strong work ethic… Well, you can see where this discussion is going.
Some strident voices of the younger set shock me. In a letter to a newspaper, one college student said (paraphrasing), “Move over, grandma. I want my health care and I want it now!” How comforting….
A James Bond movie title comes to mind: “Live And Let Die”. Oops! The proverbial cat is about to leap from the bag of tricks within the nearly 2000 pages of this latest bill. Analysts claim “shall” appears more than 3500 times. Legally, shall is not a suggestion. It’s an order. Shall mandates compliance. There will be no choice. That’s no surprise. Whenever politicians, such as those supporting this bill, are faced with giving the public choice, the answer is no. Remember school choice? Parents petitioning for it sure do! So you think you’ll have choice in health care? Yeah, and I found the Lost Dutchman Mine!
MSRP may hold for retail, but when applied to insurance premiums and medical costs, it will be a mirage! I don’t have the mathematical expertise to estimate the approximate cost, but it’s just common sense that if you assume financial responsibility for the estimated 15% of uninsured Americans, you would be money ahead. Why scrap the entire health insurance system for the other 85% of the population — taxing generations unborn to get the money?
Such coverage for the uninsured should link to personal responsibility. Ah, but that quality seems to be widely lacking today — especially in those who clamor for Uncle Sam to morph into a health care Sugar Daddy.
A thousand thousand billion equals a trillion. Can you envision that amount? Well, if you can’t complain, be prepared to suffer the consequences of spending such obscene amounts of money. Look at the history. Medicare was said to cost one amount when proposed in the 1960s, but it outstripped estimations exponentially. What makes you think that this new plan would be any different?
And what of the millions of grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will be forced to shoulder the huge financial burden? Do proponents care? Oh, they talk a good game, but their actions belie any real concern for either end of the age spectrum — young or old. If rationing mirrors that of England and Canada, then young will pay in money, and old will pay in lives.
It’s the old drug problem — Beltway OPM — not opium, but “Other People’s Money”. It’s so easy to spend. If Congress passes any health reform then each federal employee — up to and including all members of the US House of Representatives and the Senate — should be forced to sign on with the rest of us.
My grandfather would have dubbed this bill “for the birds.” To illustrate, consider an old saying: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”. If the bill were on line as promised, I would urge you to take a gander at it, bt it’s not there.
One gander at this huge piece of legislation and you come to one conclusion: the health reform goose deserves to be cooked! Oh, and while you’re trying to get a handle on this rules and regulations behemoth, contact your Congressman and Senator. Gifts are off limits when applied to tangibles, so offer them a freebie. Give them a piece of your mind!
Tags: Enough is enough!