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I really never expected that you would get to read this column. The Republicans had predicted that Armageddon would befall us right after health-care reform became law. Maybe the Apocalypse moves slower than Congress. One small consolation is that if the end is near, John Boehner will greet his demise with a nice tan.
I’m still trying to figure out what is in this law that could cause Fox News to break out in boils. I don’t know if the Republicans read the legislation or merely counted the pages (they keep telling us it’s 2,700). Actually, I sympathize with their desire for brevity. That is why I suggested a simple one-sentence law: “All Americans, regardless of age, shall be entitled to Medicare.” Unfortunately, all the Republicans are philosophically opposed to a government takeover. They are not opposed to the current takeover by the health insurance industry. The Tea Party also is anti-government. I think that a true test of their convictions would be to require each Tea Party member to dump their Medicare card into the Boston Harbor while drinking a keg of Sam Adams.
I assume you know Medicare is a government-run program. Do I assume too much? My lack of confidence stems from seeing some anti-government protesters holding up signs that read, “Don’t touch my Medicare.” Even the Republicans seem confused. They are now fighting to increase Medicare benefits while ranting against socialism. I am disappointed that the new law isn’t even remotely close to being a government takeover.
My quarrel is not with our government, flawed as it is. I trust the president much more than any banker, Wall Street broker or credit card company. As far as I know, Barack Obama wasn’t running Enron or even Goldman Sachs. I don’t think I’d want Halliburton running the police or fire departments. My concern is that it might help their profit margin to just let my house burn down. I want my government to run the military too. We tried outsourcing some of our security to private firms such as Blackwater. How did that work out?
The conservative columnist George Will worries that Americans are becoming addicted to government. I worry that he is addicted to private enterprise. I am happy to admit my government addiction. I not only like my Medicare coverage, I also like the monthly Social Security checks my wife and I receive.
I am even in favor of the government supporting the arts and cultural institutions because they not only enrich my life, but they keep me from being a 71-year-old corner hanger. This might shock you. I also am in favor of helping poor countries. That’s called foreign aid. As the richest country on earth, we give a tiny 0.1 percent to help the less fortunate around the globe. That seems a bit stingy to me, but it just might be my addiction talking.
There is a thing called a safety net that helps me sleep at night. Republicans like to call it the “nanny state.” Actually the word nanny conjures up the image of a sweet older woman who offers me her shoulder during times of crisis. I kind of like having a nanny.
I am old enough to remember the conservatives protesting when Medicare was passed. Armageddon was supposed to befall us then too. At that time, Ronald Reagan was in his formative years. He predicted Medicare would cause the destruction of our freedom. I wonder if when Reagan became president, he thought he would be running a socialist country? Reagan was also able to afford his own nanny in his later years.
I realize expecting government services means paying taxes. This might be heresy, but I don’t believe you ever get something for nothing. I also am well aware that government, at times, can be inefficient and wasteful. Contrary to popular conservative myth, the profit motive has not insulated the private sector from also being inefficient and wasteful.
Conservatives like to say government doesn’t do anything well, but that is a bit of an overstatement. Medicare’s administrative costs run about 3 percent while private health insurance companies are more than 30 percent.
Some polls claim that Americans don’t like big government. What Americans really mean is they want their neighbor’s pet government programs cut, but don’t dare touch their own. It’s the American way.
I’m afraid that there is only one way to cure my addiction to government. Make me rich. SPR
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