Connect with us

Everything

Government ‘health care’ is lifting a bucket whilst standing in it

Published

2 years ago

on

Winston Churchill famously said “I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” What’s true for the entire economy of a nation is also true for an essential element of society.

When government is the sole provider of health care, that compulsory service becomes like lifting a bucket whilst standing in it. At some point, no further growth is possible, and scarcity ensues.

Avik Roy wrote last year about the British National Health Service barring smokers and overweight patients from surgery, due to budget constraints. He compared this to the open sore that is the U.S. Veterans Health Administration.

Left-wing advocates of the NHS-VA approach argue that rationing isn’t a big deal because in a free-market health care system, health care is “rationed” based on an individual’s ability to pay for it. But that’s balderdash.

Of course it is. Supply and demand. When demand increases, suppliers work to deliver more goods at a better price, in a free market. But in a government-controlled distribution system, supply is limited by the ability of the government to tax.

The government is horribly inefficient at spending money in individual service markets. Those who administer the programs have no incentive to provide the best service, and also no incentive to spend less money. So you get debacles like the nearly-bankrupt NHS and the deplorable VA.

Fixing the VA won’t fix American health care for veterans. Unless we also repeal Obamacare in a substantial way (not the “skinny repeal” Congress is trying to sell us wrapped in a flag-draped excuse of “transparency”), we will be taking our veterans from the frying pan into the fire.

And our nation will become one big VA or NHS single-payer Hades. It won’t take long for American health care to ban certain individuals from surgery. The left is always complaining about health insurance companies and their heartless decisions. But those decisions are almost always in response to some new regulation, or some high-dollar lawsuit.

Health care and financial risk assumed by insurance companies does not exist in a vacuum. It exists in a bucket controlled by the government. What goes into the bucket cannot grow beyond its confinement.

So government’s solution is to put more of health care into the bucket, and get a bigger bucket, because government is the bucket-maker and just like to a man with a hammer, the world is a nail, to government bucket-makers, the world needs to be placed in buckets. (To protect us sheep from wolves, ostensibly.)

Without fail, placing all health care in the bucket protects nobody, and limits everybody. Instead of one lousy insurer treating its insured badly, everyone gets treated badly. Where do you go when there’s nothing left outside the bucket and there are no bigger buckets around?

Things get scarce, like toilet paper in Venezuela.

This is where America is headed, unless we tell the bucket makers to stop, or better yet, get a whole new crew of bucket makers who understand that their job is to make smaller buckets not bigger ones.

Facebook Comments
Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foreign Affairs

Capt. Chuck Nash: Iranian regime trying to hold out in hopes Trump is not reelected

Published

52 mins ago

on

May 19, 2019

By

Capt Chuck Nash Things in Iran are getting worse by the day

Iran’s saber rattling continues as the U.S. military buildup reaches a point in which they can no longer expect to be able to defend themselves if they start a way. Meanwhile, the President lobbed a clear threat to them about their rhetoric and aggression.

Speaking on Fox News, retired U.S. Navy Captain Charles T. Nash said, “Regimes, whether it’s the Soviet Union or the current theocracy in Iran, they won’t stop loosening up until it’s too late, and when they do they know it’s all going to fly apart. The wheels are going to come off.”

Opinion

Iran has a serious problem, and it’s not the United States. Their leadership has been so obtuse during times of economic prosperity that they didn’t use it to help their people become self-sustaining. Now, they’re reliant on a government that doesn’t have the resources to help them, making this an issue that goes beyond oppression. They’re on the verge of financial collapse and the only solution is the one solution they will never consider.

As Nash noted in the video above, they won’t change. They can’t. It goes against their nature to do what’s right by their people if doing so means doing anything the United States, Saudi Arabia, or Israel want. Their pride will be the undoing of their people.

President Trump is the biggest reason they’re failing. At this point, all they can do is hope he loses reelection. If he does, they have a chance of recovering if they’re even able to survive that long. If he wins, they’re toast and they know it. Expect to see them attempt to interfere with our elections any way they can, including expansion of Endless Mayfly.

The defection of Ali Nasisi is most likely a huge blessing for America. As their ambitions appear to be coming to light, the information gleaned from the former Iranian Brigadier General has been invaluable.

Quote

“What they’re trying to do is hold out hope against hope, and if President Trump is reelected, then they’re going to have to figure out what they’re going to do.” – Captain Charles Nash

Final Thoughts

Iran is desperate. Now that their military aggression is on call by the President, they may have to resort to terrorism to achieve their goals of ousting Trump and spreading fear across the world.

Facebook Comments
Continue Reading

Media

Trump hits Fox News, Chris Wallace for Pete Buttigieg town hall

Published

2 hours ago

on

May 19, 2019

By

Trump hits Fox News in general and Chris Wallace in particular for having Democrats on

President Trump has always been a supporter of Fox News. Some have noted how many of his talking points came from the news network; during the day he quotes Fox & Friends, while in the evening he quotes Sean Hannity and others. But there’s one show host he doesn’t care for and one activity he’s lashed out against at the network.

He doesn’t like Chris Wallace and he isn’t happy when they have Democratic presidential candidates on.

He spoke out last month when the network had Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on for a a town hall with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Though the hosts were critical of Sanders and asked him tough questions, the event was considered a win by many for Sanders as he deflected some issues and turned others in his favor. This peeved the President, but not as much as Wallace did this morning.

The son of famed newsman Mike Wallace had South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg on for a town hall Sunday and proceeded to not only throw him softballs for questions, but at times praise the Democratic candidate. This didn’t sit well with the President.

Opinion

I understand the premise of the news is that it’s supposed to be unbiased. But I also recognize the reality that all news is biased. The President has very few allies in the media and Fox News is the biggest, so when they seem to be helping the opposition, it’s bound to tweak the President.

In a perfect world, the major news networks would be truly fair and balanced. This isn’t a perfect world and the cards are stacked against conservatives. Just as the education system leans left, so too do most mainstream media news outlets.

Chris Wallace sticks out at Fox News as one of the few outspoken detractors of President Trump. It puts them in a pickle because they don’t want to get rid of the popular show host over his political views, but their core audience is comprised almost entirely of Trump supporters. It doesn’t behoove them to have someone so outspoken, especially when the opposition is using his shows a platform to take down the President.

Quote

“Gee, he never speaks well of me – I like Mike Wallace better…and Alfred E. Newman will never be President!” – President Trump

Final Thoughts

In a media atmosphere in which news outlets are picking sides, the President only has one major outlet on his. The days of news outlets simply reporting the news may be behind us. This is a side effect of the polarization in America.

Facebook Comments
Continue Reading

Culture and Religion

17 years later, Paul Washer’s shocking message still holds true

Published

11 hours ago

on

May 19, 2019

By

17 years later Paul Washers shocking message still holds true

In 2002, Pastor Paul Washer delivered a message to around 5,000 young people. It has become one of the fiery Southern Baptist’s mostly widely-heard sermons because in it, we hear a very disturbing reality to most who proclaim to be Christians. Some simply aren’t doing it right.

He’s been criticized for the sermon. Some say he’s making it too complicated. Others say he’s scaring people away from the faith by making it seem too difficult. But this teaching is based on one of the most important teachings of Jesus Christ in all the Bible:

Matthew 7:13-27

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

I’ve heard many teach on these verses and I’ve taught myself on the strait and narrow. It’s frightening to some because it was intended to be, and Washer’s declarations to these impressionable young people is clear. But it wasn’t nice. It wasn’t kind. It wasn’t inclusive. It didn’t fit in with today’s version of common pastoral messages.

The need for constant repentance and ongoing belief must never be understated.

Sometimes, the need to be “nice” from the pulpit must be replaced by the true need to be honest. That’s what Washer does in this famous teaching. I strongly encourage everyone to spend an hour hearing it.

Facebook Comments
Continue Reading
Social Injustice

Facebook

NOQ Report Needs Your Help

Trending