Government “Controlled” Healthcare - vs - Government Run Census
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*********************
Allow me to relate to you a story of an American citizen’s experience with the 2010 Census:
When the census began earlier this year, he did not receive the form. Then, if you recall, the government said there would be a second mailing. He did not receive the form in the second mailing. Soon afterwards he saw a notice in his regional newspaper that informed those having still not received their census forms to call a certain telephone number and request a form be sent to them. So, as a dutiful citizen, he called the number and made his request. In a couple of days, or so, he received the form. Within 48 hours he sat down and took the 5 to 6 minutes required to fill out the form and he mailed it back to the US Census Bureau.
It was finally done, he thought. . Thinking that all was well with the US Census, and himself he put the matter out of mind.
A few days ago, his wife found a notice stuck in their front door. It was a notice that a census taker had tried to contact them and was unable to do so and it gave a number to call. This time he decided to wait until the first day of the coming workweek. Since it was already Saturday, there did not seem to be a rush.
The very next day, which happened to be a Sunday, a knock came at his front door. When he opened it, there stood what he instantly recognized as a census taker dressed in shorts and a tank top and carrying a clipboard.
He explained that he had been missed by both mailings, had called, received a census form, had filled it out, and returned it. The census taker was polite but asked if he would mind answering the questions for him anyway.
As it was a Sunday, and this particular American citizen is, at heart, a peaceable fellow (especially on a Sunday morning) he agreed. They sat down and the census taker asked the very same questions this American citizen had already answered and sent to Washington. They shook hands and parted company.
Soon after hearing this story, I began to think, which, as regular readers already know, can be dangerous. I thought: This is THE CENSUS! It only takes place every TEN YEARS. Then why the dickens was it so confounded screwed-up? I mean, its not like it was done “off the cuff.” There is a good ten years between the taking of the censuses to iron out the problems, and be reasonably certain it will go off with a minimal amount of glitches. In the case cited above it resembled more of, what we used to call (in the military) a “cluster****!”
But, then again, there is the old expression that seems apropos to this situation: “Close enough for government work.”
This whole experience is worrisome for me on two fronts. One: unless some one in DC catches the error, this American citizen’s state will wind up with at least two more citizens on its rolls than it should have. Depending upon how many times this has happened nationwide, the Lord, Himself, will only know how many American citizens there actually are. Remember these numbers are often used to determine the letting of government funds and services to the several states, and cities, etc. A REASOANABLY accurate counting is extremely necessary.
Then on front number two: Horrors of horrors, I thought, this is the same government to which we now, by law, must entrust our health, indeed, our LIVES!
It is one thing to have a screw-up while gathering and adding numbers for a census. It is quite another thing to entrust our lives to the same government’s doctors in a hospital or clinic run by (or controlled by) that very same government. This is a hellish nightmare!
Remember, too, this is the same government that could not run a postal service when private companies all around them were running circles around them delivering packages on time, at a reasonable rate, and making huge profits for their businesses.
You are only kidding yourself if you actually believe that ObamaCare will be anywhere near as efficient -- or the quality of care will come anywhere near that which we enjoy today.
Rationing is a given. Healthcare will cost we Americans far, far, more than we are paying now -- and for what? Less healthcare, rationing of healthcare, fewer doctors and hospitals resulting in longer waits just for the privilege of seeing a doctor who is, for all intents and purposes, a government employee. As I said, it is going be a hellish nightmare.
The ONLY alternative we have, until we can gain indisputable control of a veto proof Congress, is to defund and make every effort to repeal ObamaCare.
Remember in November!
Allow me to relate to you a story of an American citizen’s experience with the 2010 Census:
When the census began earlier this year, he did not receive the form. Then, if you recall, the government said there would be a second mailing. He did not receive the form in the second mailing. Soon afterwards he saw a notice in his regional newspaper that informed those having still not received their census forms to call a certain telephone number and request a form be sent to them. So, as a dutiful citizen, he called the number and made his request. In a couple of days, or so, he received the form. Within 48 hours he sat down and took the 5 to 6 minutes required to fill out the form and he mailed it back to the US Census Bureau.
It was finally done, he thought. . Thinking that all was well with the US Census, and himself he put the matter out of mind.
A few days ago, his wife found a notice stuck in their front door. It was a notice that a census taker had tried to contact them and was unable to do so and it gave a number to call. This time he decided to wait until the first day of the coming workweek. Since it was already Saturday, there did not seem to be a rush.
The very next day, which happened to be a Sunday, a knock came at his front door. When he opened it, there stood what he instantly recognized as a census taker dressed in shorts and a tank top and carrying a clipboard.
He explained that he had been missed by both mailings, had called, received a census form, had filled it out, and returned it. The census taker was polite but asked if he would mind answering the questions for him anyway.
As it was a Sunday, and this particular American citizen is, at heart, a peaceable fellow (especially on a Sunday morning) he agreed. They sat down and the census taker asked the very same questions this American citizen had already answered and sent to Washington. They shook hands and parted company.
Soon after hearing this story, I began to think, which, as regular readers already know, can be dangerous. I thought: This is THE CENSUS! It only takes place every TEN YEARS. Then why the dickens was it so confounded screwed-up? I mean, its not like it was done “off the cuff.” There is a good ten years between the taking of the censuses to iron out the problems, and be reasonably certain it will go off with a minimal amount of glitches. In the case cited above it resembled more of, what we used to call (in the military) a “cluster****!”
But, then again, there is the old expression that seems apropos to this situation: “Close enough for government work.”
This whole experience is worrisome for me on two fronts. One: unless some one in DC catches the error, this American citizen’s state will wind up with at least two more citizens on its rolls than it should have. Depending upon how many times this has happened nationwide, the Lord, Himself, will only know how many American citizens there actually are. Remember these numbers are often used to determine the letting of government funds and services to the several states, and cities, etc. A REASOANABLY accurate counting is extremely necessary.
Then on front number two: Horrors of horrors, I thought, this is the same government to which we now, by law, must entrust our health, indeed, our LIVES!
It is one thing to have a screw-up while gathering and adding numbers for a census. It is quite another thing to entrust our lives to the same government’s doctors in a hospital or clinic run by (or controlled by) that very same government. This is a hellish nightmare!
Remember, too, this is the same government that could not run a postal service when private companies all around them were running circles around them delivering packages on time, at a reasonable rate, and making huge profits for their businesses.
You are only kidding yourself if you actually believe that ObamaCare will be anywhere near as efficient -- or the quality of care will come anywhere near that which we enjoy today.
Rationing is a given. Healthcare will cost we Americans far, far, more than we are paying now -- and for what? Less healthcare, rationing of healthcare, fewer doctors and hospitals resulting in longer waits just for the privilege of seeing a doctor who is, for all intents and purposes, a government employee. As I said, it is going be a hellish nightmare.
The ONLY alternative we have, until we can gain indisputable control of a veto proof Congress, is to defund and make every effort to repeal ObamaCare.
Remember in November!
J. D. Longstreet
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