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Wanna start a fight for the fun of it? EASY!
Just start talking about Nationalized Healthcare (Obama Care) or related topics at your next gathering of family or friends. Just make a few, well placed comments on the subject – pro or con – then sit back and watch the sparks fly! Just be sure to keep the room clear or pointy objects or anything else that can be used as a weapon – we don’t want to get anybody seriously hurt now, do we? Not when a trip to the ER costs $800 or more, and wastes three or four hours of your time…
Let’s all try to agree on two premises here - 1) the current system is screwed up and 2) it isn’t getting better on it’s own. OK, agreed? Now let’s discuss how we’re going to go about fixing it. Wait, that’s putting the cart before the horse. Let’s begin by looking out what is actually wrong with the current system from an objective standpoint and then, perhaps, we can begin to talk about fixing it.
This is too important of a topic to let it’s fate reside with our leaders in Washington (or, realistically, the highly paid lobbyists who really make these decisions). Will Rogers said “if pro is the opposite of con, what’s the opposite of progress?” Smart guy, that Will Rogers.
Watching from the sidelines, it seems to me that this entire healthcare debate is like the story of a group of hunters moving through the woods in search of some game. After a while, they come across some tracks in a clearing.
“AH HAH!” exclaims the first hunter. “These are obviously deer tracks. I’ll wait up this tree for the deer to come by again and then I will shoot it with my bow”.
“NONSENSE” shouts the second hunter “If you knew anything about tracking, you would realize that these are moose tracks. A moose is too large and strong to kill with a bow. I will wait up the tree and shoot it with my shotgun!”
“ARE YOU CRAZY” screams the third hunter “Any idiot can see that these are mountain lion tracks. A mountain lion is too swift and cagey to kill with a shotgun. I will wait for it up on yonder ridge and then shoot it with my rifle!”
“YOU’RE THE IDIOT” yelled the last hunter “These are grizzly bear tracks. A grizzly is the most dangerous animal in these woods. I will simply set and bait my bear trap, and then we can all wait in safety back at the campsite.”
These four hunters stood and screamed at each other for hours, each one convinced that they alone understood the problem and that the solution that they held was the only possible solution to consider. They would still be there today, screaming and arguing with each other about the true nature of the tracks in the woods if the Amtrak express train hadn’t run them all over….
My point is simply this: If we want to ‘solve’ the healthcare crisis, we must first figure out what the problems are (Emphesis on the plurality) and the discuss possible solutions to these problems as objectively as possible.
No small task, but it sure sounds like fun. But first, let me make sure that my healthcare premium is paid up, and that the local hospital ER hasn’t closed down. After that , we can begin our little discussion in earnest.
The only thing I ask is that you put your own 2 cents in from time to time. I promise to remove all pointy objects from around my workstation so you should be able to leave your comments in relative safety.
‘til then….
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