Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Healthcare.


There has been a lot of debate about health care reform. There are a lot of conflicting statistics. My good friend Jamie Golden likes to ask for statistics when talking about this issue. This is usually good for shutting down debate because most people do not like looking up stats and compiling references for this issue. Why should I have to come up with a stat if our elected officials don't have to? But that is beside the point here. Here is a stat that I think should be part of the debate. I may be a billion dollars off either way on this but I think I am close enough for horseshoes, hand-grenades, and government work.

11 trillion.

Look at this with zeroes and commas. 11,000,000,000,000. I think this is right although I am unsure. Numbers in the trillions really don't register in my mind. I could be off a few zeroes either way.

11 trillion is going to be the national debt at the end of 2009 for the United States of America. It might only be 9 trillion or it could be as high as 13 trillion. Either way it doesn't freaking matter. We are trillions of dollars in the red. Our government has spent more than it makes. We have to borrow the difference. Learn to speak Chinese is the best advice I have for you.

By the way these are the last two cats who have been able to balance a budget.

Health care is an very important privilege (it is not a right, it is a privilege) that I have worked hard to get for my family. It costs a lot of money to make sure the Kinnairds are healthy. But it is not a right. It is not something I am owed by my government or my creator. But it is pretty important. Duh.

Health care is a huge part of our economy. I don't know the exact percentage but it is significant. Insurance companies make profits. If they fail to make a profit they go out of business. Hospitals make profits (unless they are Cooper Green). If they don't make a profit they go out of business.

Here is the point nobody seems to be making. The people who have run the government 11 trillion dollars (give or take a few trillion) in the hole are going to be the people running health care. This is the stat I fear. If businesses ran the way the federal government runs there would be no business. I do not want the federal government in charge of this aspect of my life.

Forget about liberal or conservative philosophies concerning the scope and power of the federal government. Just use a little common sense. Judging by the 11 trillion dollar number (give or take a few trillion) I think it is clear the federal government couldn't run a McDonald's if they couldn't print their own money.

And while I am at it who wrote the legislation that had to be voted on before August recess? Certainly not our congress persons. They haven't even read it. Someone has to know the answer to this. This would probably scare me a little too.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you hit it dead on. Keep the government away from my McDonalds and health care.

Benita said...

Socialism vs. Capitalism -- the people of these United States had better educate themselves and learn the difference. All anyone has to do is look at the programs that are "run" by the government...hello....those programs are all either in debt up to George Washington's eyeballs or on their way to non-existence...look how long "cash for clunkers" lasted!