Posted by
voice_of_reason on Tuesday, October 09, 2007 5:29:30 PM
We are obsessed with 'lifeboats' such as SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program), Universal Health Care, Welfare, Medicare and Public Education. Usually, Leftists begin their arguments with "if America is a compassionate nation, how can we not take care of ____ !"
Leftist solutions almost always rely on higher taxation, which inevitably ensures that more people will need such lifeboats.
Observe how much of our discussion is centered around the few Americans who 'have not'. A visitor from Mars would think that there must be some kind of ongoing calamity in America that causes so much attention to be directed towards relief efforts. The same Martian visitor would simultaneously be confounded by the reality that America is actually quite an affluent, prosperous place. While success in America is by no means guaranteed, a minimal standard of living is reasonably easy to achieve. However, that minimal standard of living does not necessarily include the highest level of Health Care - or filet mignon every night for that matter!
The truth is that whining about compassion makes for great political rhetoric - and not much else. The (D) party has figured out that we Americans are suckers for sanctimonious do-goodery.
The (R) party is also powerless to resist that 'lure of easy money', as exemplified by the fact we are witnessing competing proposals from both parties - both of which expand SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program).
Soon, we will see competing proposals for Universal Health Care. Republican candidates will bleat that they are fighting vigorously to stem the Leftist tide, while offering proposals that are only slightly less obscene than those from the Democrats.
In the end, we will become a nation of lifeboat-dependants, while the main ship falls into decay due to the neglect caused by false incentives. It is also very likely that the ship sinks under the weight of the gold plated lifeboats that we have constructed.