The Meltdown

A dramatic audio clip posted on You Tube was brought to my attention by a friend. It was a recording of American conservative/libertarian radio host Glenn Beck, who practically has a meltdown in pure frustration towards a caller on the line arguing for the USA to go ahead with Obama's plan to develop a socialized health care system like we have here in Canada or Europe or something similar. Poor Glenn couldn't take it anymore and hollered at the caller at the top of his lungs until his voice broke and very likely pegged the VU meters.

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It would appear to the uninitiated listener that Glenn was being a jerk and losing his mind. Not so to those of us who understand what was causing his frustration. Glenn's right. The woman he was talking to is and remains completely ignorant of the facts and is a product of brainwashing by the leftist media over the last fifty years or so, combined with complete lack of understanding and rational thought. But I know how Glenn feels. I feel the same way, watching the actions and intentions of the complete and total disaster the Americans now have in place of a once responsible government. Everything that Glenn and other conservative hosts say about health care (although in some cases they do exaggerate somewhat to make a point) is absolutely right. I'm Canadian and I can speak to what they are saying about the Canadian system. There's just one problem, however, and this problem is why Americans WILL eventually be forced into the "universal" system of some sort. Perception rules. Not reality. Canada's health care system is a mess. Everyone who lives in Canada and even pays scant attention to the news knows it's a mess, yet if you asked any Canuck at random, at least 85% of them will say Canada's heath care system is nevertheless the best in the world. Why? Several reasons, all of them based on lies, distortions and political rhetoric. First, it is perceived as "free". The key word there is "perceived". Most people don't understand how much it really costs us in taxes, debt and future debt which will be laid at the feet of our children. They say Americans spend more per capita on health care than Canadians do. The perception is that Americans are getting ripped off because of the profits the doctors and hospitals make which those under the Universal system do not. Wrong. The truth is, the profits made by the health care providers are paltry compared to the costs. Most of those costs are due to government imposed bureaucracy. Americans pay more because they have access to the resources that Canadians often can't get. There are more MRI machines in New York alone than there are in all of Canada, for example. That's because Canada's heath care is RATIONED, not "free". If you need an operation in the US you can get it practically whenever you want or need, because the resources are there in relative abundance. In Canada, the resources do not exist, at least, not in a timely fashion, which leads to long wait times and/or insufficient care. For example, back in 1993 it took me NINE MONTHS to get the eye exams I needed to get my pilot's license! And I still had to pay for it! Such desires aren't covered under the Universal health care system, which is fine, but the universal system's bureaucracy even makes it impossible for the things you have to pay for to be done in a timely manner, because of the lack of resources, as all resources are rationed by government. And our health care system comes at a huge cost, making it far from free. Try taxes that effectively rob upwards of 70% (and yes, 70% or more!... I may explain that in another column) of your earnings in visible and hidden taxes on multiple and redundant levels. It's called "soaking everyone to pay everyone". Second, people have come to "understand" that wait times and lack of resources are "normal". Just something you have to deal with, but at least it's "free"! Third, if you ask any Canadian what's great about our heath care system, 90% will answer "because it's not the American system". People have been so misinformed that the American system is evil because of the "massive profits" that are earned by health care providers, that ANYTHING is better than that horrible and wretched (as they perceive it) American system. People have come to believe that in the USA, most people will die in the streets if they can't afford health care, or lose their home or their savings or whatever. What they don't realize is that the American system is pretty much half socialized anyway. And that's precisely why the system is as damaged as it is. The whole health care debate is actually a prime example of how leftists wreck things. They see something that isn't perfect (nothing CAN be perfect!) and concentrate on the imperfections, demanding that they be corrected to become perfect, so that "no one can fall through the cracks". So they regulate it, creating even more imperfections, because regulation can only add problems, not solutions. So, they again concentrate on those new problems and conveniently leave out the fact that they were the ones who made the mess in the first place and demand even more regulations to further "fix" the problem. The opposite continues to happen. This goes on for years and years until they completely destroy the private sector system so that it can no longer work efficiently as it once did. Finally, they use that as an excuse to completely take it over. All of this is absolutely deliberate. It's how politicians get and keep ultimate power. They are the greediest of the greedy. Obama is the first actual, died-in-the-wool, bona-fide, real life genuinely anti-American president. He will destroy your current system, and he'll do it for the exact stated purpose that conservative hosts say. He wants power to control your life. He wants to turn America into Cuba. And don't even get me started on the "climate change" crap. Pure power grab based on a complete fantasy and trumped up lies and distortions. For the first time in my life, I'm seeing the greatest country on Earth become a total basket case in just six months. Americans are wrecking their country even faster and more thoroughly than we did to ours back in the sixties, as we are now completely dependent on the American economy. When the American economy crumbles (and it will under Obama), then what? Before Trudeau emasculated Canada, we didn't even have a debt! But, the old adage that "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" seems to be playing out rather dramatically in the USA of late. If you Americans don't wake up, and I mean FAST, you'll get out of bed one day and wonder what the hell happened to all your liberty. Don't worry, though. I'm sure they won't cancel "American Idol" or other stuff like that as a result. Statists know that as long as they can keep the population entertained and concerned about unimportant drivel, they can get away with anything. I guess that's what "Hope and Change" is really all about, isn't it? 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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