WhatFinger


Welcome to the world of government rationing

How To Compare Health Care Systems For Dummies



Many Americans, mostly Democrats, are very confused as to what kind of health care system is best to have in the USA. The problem is, many people just don't understand the fundamental differences between "free" government health care and that which you have to buy in the free market.

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So, I came up with a novel idea. I decided to compare it with automobiles. That's something most people can understand. In a purely free market based system, people are free to choose whatever kind of car they want, as long as they can afford it or find a way to pay for it over time. If they want a Smart car, they can buy one. If they want a Cadillac, they can buy one. If they want to get a Ford Excursion, or a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, they can buy one. There are a lot of choices out there in the free market, plenty of choices for just about every budget. Some people, however, don't have cars. Some because they don't want them, some because they don't need them. However, almost everyone in the USA who wants or needs a car has one (or several in many cases) or can get one if they need it, and they do so by paying for it to the tune of many thousands of dollars per year on average, likely many hundreds of thousands over their lifetimes. Many times people who do need a car get it by financing it if they can't afford to pay cash for it. Or, they buy used cars or cars of slightly lower quality that are affordable to them. But they manage to get their ride. Somehow, the free market nearly always provides. The point is, there are very few people who don't have a car if they need one. The poorest among us out there even have cars. I know people who don't even have flush toilets but they have a car or two. Sometimes it's a struggle, but they manage to get one. Now, let's look at what would happen if we depended on the government for our cars. "Universal Car Ownership", we'll call it. Everybody who works contributes to the system through their taxes and the government will give you your car. For "free". Even people who don't work and don't pay taxes will get a car if they want one. Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Okay, so the government assesses how many people need cars and allocates the money collected from taxes (or goes into debt) as necessary to make all those cars for the entire population who needs or wants one. Since the budget is somewhat limited, they decide that everyone will get a Yugo, the pride of Serbia, because the government decides that's the one they can afford for everybody. And all for free to those who need a car! Well, not entirely for free. You paid for it with your taxes, as mentioned above, and the government is going into debt over it, so your kids will also contribute. But what if you don't want or need a car? If you take the bus, or walk, or drive your bicycle to work, you and your kids will still be paying for all those Yugos that everyone else owns. But take pride in the fact that you are indeed contributing to the Universal Health Ca... sorry, I mean, the Universal Car Ownership program! But you may want a Toyota instead of a Yugo. Sorry, the government is only providing you with Yugos, as that's all they have rationed for, given the amount they have allocated in the Universal Car Ownership program's budget. And, since the free market doesn't exist under the government Universal Car Ownership program, you are not allowed to buy your own Toyota. Same goes for Corvettes, Cadillacs, Ford Excursions, Volvos and any SUV or minivan on the market, even a basic Chevy. You get a Yugo. That's all you're allowed to have. If you need two cars, sorry, you can just have one. Hopefully it won't break down. If it does, you can apply to the government for a new one..... ...But the waiting list is six months long. Maybe in a few years, if the money exists and they can afford to fund the program further, they may allow you to upgrade to a Smart car. Only seats two people and half a bag of groceries but gets great gas mileage! However, if they don't allocate the money, you'll have to keep putting Bondo, mufflers and Rust Check on that old Yugo to keep it from falling apart. But for now, Chevy's, Cadillacs and all other cars are banned from the roads under the Universal Car Ownership program. If you have one from years ago, you won't be able to license it, because it's not endorsed by the government. Only Yugos are permitted according to the new health ca... ('scuse me again!)... Car Ownership program. Welcome to the world of government rationing. That's a somewhat simplistic analogy to a health care system to be sure, so that it can be explained in a way that Obama voters (and Trudeau voters in Canada forty five years ago) can understand, but it's damned well accurate. They tried this in the Soviet Union. They still do it in Cuba. Look at the cars they all (...Oops! Not all!...) drive. The system works real good, doesn't it? How's all that "hope and change" working for you out there, guys? E. James Small currently lives near Truro, Nova Scotia. James was born in Montreal in 1965. James’ parents were both independent commercial artists, but they were English and were therefore boycotted by French businesses in the 1970’s so they opted to retire and move to Apple River, Nova Scotia in 1980 (there’s a whole story to that one!). Since then I have also lived in several towns in NS, such as Springhill, Amherst and also lived in Oshawa, Ontario and Brandon, Manitoba, but Nova Scotia, unfortunately, keeps dragging me back. I currently earn a living as a modelmaker, my primary passion, building models for everyone from individuals to businesses. James can be reached at: jim@smallartworks.ca


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Guest Column E. James Small -- Bio and Archives

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