Curmudgeon's Corner

Imagine...

Posted by Al Campbell on July 31, 2009

Political, Quality of Life

Imagine, if you will, that the auto sales stimulus program, popularly known as "Cash for Clunkers", represents the nationalized health care program.

You have been diagnosed as requiring heart surgery if you are to live.  You worked your way through the process, waited for the several months necessary until you were a day away from the long ago scheduled date for your surgery.

You receive a telephone call from the hospital and are told that you're back on a waiting list because the government has run out of money and there will be no more heart surgeries performed until Congress appropriates more money.  Sorry.

This "fantasy" is a way of life in Canada and England and elsewhere where governments have taken over health care.  Waiting times are the method in which scarce health care is rationed in those countries, in addition to determining what will and won't be permitted based upon some measurement of efficiency made by a "green eye-shade" sitting at a government desk

We awoke this morning to learn that the "Cash for Clunkers" program, just implemented on Monday of this week, has run out of money, or so the government thinks.  It can't be sure because there are an unknown number of auto purchase deals "in the pipeline" and no one really knows.  Then, The White House tells those who are in a lurch that it is working to find a way to come up with more money.  Congress, not to be outdone in the grab for the limelight, issues a statement saying that it will probably appropriate another $3 Billion to go with the first $1 Billion so that the "Cash for Clunkers" program can run for maybe another three weeks.

This whole story is a blessing even though some may be hurt as the result of this mistake of a program that was mismanaged from day-one.  This gives us a real life example of what we're going to be subjected to if Congress passes nationalized health care.  Our president is either unaware or disingenuous when he tells us that "if you like the plan you have today, you can keep your plan".  That simply is not true.

Congress doesn't think that is true, either.  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) was caught on video tape yesterday apologizing to the very liberal Americans who are very unhappy with the way the drive for nationalized health care is going.  He assured them all that the watered-down "public plan" may be necessary in order to ultimately move our country to the nationalized single payer health plan that they all want.

You see, I hope, that this charade we're part of today is nothing but a step down the slippery slope that the left has already ordained for us.

Imagine how disappointed and disgusted are those who thought they had a new vehicle yesterday only to wake up this morning to find themselves in limbo.

Imagine if that person were you; you'd feel very cheated.  You'd blame the sales person, the dealer and then, maybe, the government.  Nothing would change, however, unless the government found more money.

Now imagine that this was you under nationalized health care and that you hadn't lost a new car but may've lost your last chance to stay alive.  Imagine how you'd be feeling this morning.  Imagine what you'd be thinking.  Imagine...

This is much closer to that future reality of nationalized health care, than any picture you've had painted for you by our president.

We're not talking about a new car or truck; we are talking about the life of our Mom or our Dad or our child or our sibling, or our spouse...or ourself.

Remember that end-of-life counseling and assistance is part of the proposed new health care plan; and, it is in the plan for a reason.

The majority of government programs are ill-conceived, poorly managed and subject to the political whims of the day.  Is that what you'd like for your health care system? 

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The Curmudgeon Blog today is titled Beer Summit.