Big government for tiny brains
It was just eleven years ago Bil Clinton declared that “the era of big government has ended” after he got stomped in 1994 elections largely due to his failed attempt at a national Healthcare Plan. Now the Democrats in Congress are bringing back that era in an effort to gain political headway. According to the Washington Post;
“We’re sitting on the doorstep of a definitional moment,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. He said legislation on health care, the minimum wage, homeland security and congressional ethics would respond to virtually all the pressure points of an anxious public.
Republican leaders plan to stand in the way, arguing that Democrats are reviving big government programs that will intrude into the free market and taxpayers’ wallets. They argue that a homeland security mandate that all maritime cargo be screened within five years will chill international trade. And the children’s health insurance expansion amounts to “a giant tax increase in an effort to expand government-run health care,” said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
We’ve been through all of this before. Of course, the first thing I think when I hear that healthcare for children will be expanded is “Great!” But, then the right side of my brain asks “who’s going to pay for it?” and “what has government ever done right for anyone?” and I snap back to reality. And the reality is this; Healthcare is already expensive because of government give-aways and boondoggle programs that funnel money to corrupt healthcare agencies and insurance companies.
I remember, about 5 years before Medicare and Medicaid existed, my two brothers and I were all sick. My mother called the doctor down the street (back when doctors actually lived among us common folk) at about 8 in the morning, an hour-or-so later, he dropped by the house, looked us all over, gave my mother some medicine for us and she paid him $5. You can’t even buy a bottle of asprin for $5 these days.
One of the big reasons I stayed in the Army was so my kids would have health care – I figured it was part of my responsibility as a parent to make sure my kids were healthy. How stupid of me to think ahead, huh? Granted it probably wasn’t the best care, but it was as good as any HMO, if not better.
I lived next door to a minister in a rural church a few years back. In his backyard he had a trampoline for his teenage kids to play on. One day when they were all at work or school, some of the neighbors kids decided to avail themselves of the opportunity to play on the unguarded trampoline. of course, one of the youngsters broke his arm. The minister found out about it a week later when he was served lawsuit papers from the child’s parents. The parents apologized, but admitted that they hadn’t taken advantage of the health insurance offered through the father’s work and needed to pay the child’s medical bills. So the minister’s homeowner insurance ended up paying the child’s bills. How many things in that story should be compensated for by the government – the tax payers? Too many bad choices involved, none of them compensable.
Since when is it the responsibility of people who waited until they could afford kids to fund the poor choices of the impetuous and small-minded goofballs that start spitting out babies as soon as they reach puberty? I’ll grant you that it’s not the children’s fault, but it’s certainly not the fault of society’s real adults either. And it’s certainly not the responsibility of government.
If government wants to start mandating healthcare, how about mandating that people have insurance for their kids from the moment of conception. But I guess government can’t legislate common sense, especially since government is bereft of common sense itself.
But then the campaign slogan “Hey stupid! Insure your kids’ health” doesn’t get you votes, does it?
