Open Wide and Say AHHHH?

 Krayton Kerns
8.2.06

Ever since Hillary Clinton’s Health Care Task Force, there has been constant gabbing about a national health-care crisis.  Every election cycle we see candidates rework previously floated ideas, and plug them as the newest solution.  If you accept the premise that health care is a basic right, like the right to freedom of speech; then it becomes easy to convince you that the government needs to fix this situation.   But, let’s take a closer look at that premise.

 Logic dictates that if we accept health care as a right, food should be considered a more basic right.  We all need to eat don’t we?  Therefore, if the government is going to provide health-care for all, you must conclude it should also provide food for all.  We must stay consistent in our thoughts.

 This brings me to something I witnessed when I was in veterinary school in the early ‘80’s.  I was in Denver at Stapleton International Airport when I observed a protest forming at one of the arrival gates.  One of the more colorful demonstrators was carrying a sign that read, “Food for people.  Not for profit!” 

 I conducted my business at the terminal and proceeded home, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the protestor’s sign.   Judging his sign using only the politics of good intentions, the fellow had a point.  But, when you think it through, the farmer has an enormous amount of sweat and money invested to get his product to a manufacturer who has spent millions to get it processed and delivered to the consumer.  Someone has to pay them.  Food is not a right, and neither is health-care.

 We are no more entitled to identical health-care insurance than we are entitled to drive the same cars, live in the same houses, and eat steak and crab every night for dinner.  Even the wolves in Yellowstone know you either kill to eat, or you wait for the leftovers. 

 Let’s be extremely cautious about any plan proposing universal health coverage.  Either taxes will go through the roof or we will ration care because, “Drugs for people. Not for profit,” just isn’t going to work. If the government controls our healthcare, take out your wallet, open wide and say, “AHHHH, where did all my money go????”