Restaurant style health care

I thought of a really good analogy and I wanted to share it with you.

The recent Health care bill passage and the subsequent broo ha ha caused a friend of mine to ask why so many people are against such a good idea.
I responded that my main problem was that I couldn't afford it and neither could our children but he didn't seem to understand. So I am going to try to explain it through this analogy.

first I have to point out that I am exactly the kind of person that president Obama Described every time he said these are the people we need to help... that is I am without health care I would like to have health care but I can't even miss a day of work because my finances are so tight that a day off work literally could mean I can't pay the rent, let alone have the extra cash to spend on an expensive health care policy.

But the plan instituted here does absolutely nothing for me.

When I first moved here I was on medicare because I was without a job and at least a year ago there were no doctors in my area who were accepting patients of my status. (that's right none, zip, zero, nada, niente...) Now He wants to add more people into a system that already has too many patients and not enough doctors, while lowering the amount that system will pay the doctors?

How does this help me?

Plus MY taxes are still going to increase to pay for it.

I See it as being like a restaurant. I go in to have a meal I am not rich, and I want to save some of my hard earned cash, so I will only have a grilled cheese sandwich. because it is the cheapest item.
But then when I get the bill I find I am also paying for the Lobster Thermidor and the $500 an ounce caviar that the diner at the next table chose to eat.
What's more that diner chose that meal in part because he KNEW he wouldn't be paying for it.

And even worse than that, this plan doesn't meet all the needs... you want vegetables with that? tough those aren't covered because no one likes them and they are too expensive... HUH????

So what am I supposed to do? My first and primary care giver will still be the E.R. just as it was/is before the interference of the government. I still will suffer poor health and limited choice but in the end it will cost me more.
And Our fearless leader did this to help me? with help like that I will soon and up dead. OH THANK you oh SO much Mr. President. (please note that last was said with all the sarcasm I could muster.)

Maybe I will start using this as a curse... "May you be helped by the liberals." Hmm then again I really wouldn't wish this poor excuse for "reform" on my worst enemies.

Am I in favor of reform of some kind? YES! I want reform that actually addresses COST of service not something that ADDS taxes so the cost is higher!
I want reform that creates an affordable alternative!
Not a threat that if I do not buy the Policies the Government chose then I will have to go to jail or be fined for it. (for crying out loud like I already said I cannot afford health care as it is, and now the insurance companies have hiked their rates as much as 37% and they are looking at ANOTHER hike of up to 15% JUST BECAUSE OF THIS LEGISLATION!!!)
maybe if Medicare paid at least the operating costs of the doctors then there would be more doctors who would accept it.
Maybe if there was a standardized rate for services then everyone would know where they were on things.
Maybe if the Insurance companies weren't allowed to wheedle special treatment out of hospitals and doctors so everyone else had to pay more.
Maybe if there was a limit or clause that a person could not sue doctors willy nilly. That they had to have a truly justified case, not just an "oh I feel bad that gramps died, even though he had a bad heart and scarfed down bacon and quadruple burgers like water, so now I want to get all I can out of the doctor/s to assuage my pain."

Maybe if the Malpractice insurers had to hold down costs for the doctors so the doctors wouldn't have to pay out millions of dollars thereby increasing their overhead...

But Obama did NONE of that. Oh no his idea is to tax everything... yeah that will make it more affordable, raise costs... that always makes it cheaper huh?.
His plan is to cut back on how much medicare will pay... yeah the doctors will be able to stay in business while declaring bankruptcy because they cannot get enough to pay the bills.
His plan is to throw all the people who don't buy insurance into jail... oh yeah that will fix it all, nevermind that the jail systems in this country are ALL overcrowded... yeah hmm I can't afford to buy this service that makes me a felon... good plan.
His plan is to tell people they can't get needed surgery because they are too old for it to be worthwhile, or they just plain don't have a good enough quality of life... That is exactly like saying... "you may as well just crawl off somewhere and die to ease your suffering."

Wait a minute maybe that is the plan! If we kill off all the old people, the sick people and the poor people then health care would have to get cheaper.

I mean, it will work because all you will have left is the strong, healthy and rich people.
Ah Utopia here it comes and who cares what happens to the peasant rabble.

A word though Mr. President, I know you abhor History and reality but this plan has been tried before in a way (that is the "let the peasants suffer" concept) And it has never worked out well before.

Improving Self Esteem

I recall hanging a magazine ad on my bedroom door when I was a boy. It was a PSA that said "you cannot raise yourself up by bringing another down."
The ad was aimed at preventing bullying and child abuse and at the time I felt it was an important point because it seemed that was what my father tended to do. Of course in hindsight I have to admit that had he really been abusive or violent I wouldn't have dared putting that up on my door for fear of the repercussions... but I digress.

Recent events by the American people as a whole though have me very concerned.You see I understand the desire that we all have to encourage self esteem. And while I will not argue that it would be better for kids to not become suicidal or depressed over certain issues, I think we take it too far.

I have seen and experienced the effects of depression and I was a child who could have had a little more positive encouragement. But I have found that what I really needed and indeed what most of us seem to need is to be able to accomplish things. I mean HELLO, I didn't need someone telling me "oh is that test too hard for you? well let's make it easier so you feel better about you." No what I NEEDED was to sit down and work at it until I WAS good enough to do well on the test and excel!

Well now I see both of the negatives from these two points coming togther in our society in a very dangerous way.
In short we are deliberately dragging ourselves down so that others can feel good. NOW WAIT A COTTON PICKIN MOMENT!
Like the PSA that hung on my door some 20 years ago I think we all need to be reminded that one person being dragged down, NO MATTER WHO IS DOING THE DRAGGING, does not raise up another person. In fact I think that attitude will only lead us to mediocrity and suffering.

Also I think that if we really want others to have something to feel good about, instead of dragging ourselves down it would be better to give them a helping hand UP in learning how to BE better.
Then they get better self esteem through their accomplishments and the world as a whole is improved.
All the goals that we face are answered.

Do you doubt it? How about a little test. Go out there and plant some seeds in the ground, do not water them, do not weed them, just dig a hole and shove them in... heck don't even cover them with dirt. Now be all sad and weepy that you do not have anything growing until someone hands you a flower or a piece of fruit. How does that make you feel?

Now try going out and plant a nice little garden. learn what kind of soil you have, find out what PH balance you need, water your seeds, fertilize them, make sure they have plenty of sun and keep the weeds out.
then when time for harvest or whatever comes around go out and pick yourself a nice bouquet of flowers or get some of those strawberries and make a nice dessert... NOW how do you feel?

You see the first one doesn't do anything for you. You have accomplished NOTHING and so while you have a nice pretty for the moment you don't have any long term satisfaction. the only "advantage" to the first approach is that you get to be A Lazy jerk.

The advantage to the second option though is that you have accomplished something. and while your flowers or dessert may be just as fleeting the memory is lasting and the sense of pride will be there for the rest of your life... And THAT is the best self esteem there is.

Once you have grown something from seed you know you can; and you know that if you ever want to you can do it again.

When you're lazy you never learn what it is you can or cannot do. and THAT leads to low self esteem.
We need to learn this and learn it now before it is too late.