HEALTH CARE FOR PEANUTS ?

A wise person--I think it was P.J. O'Rourke--once quipped, "If you think health care is expensive now, just wait till you see what it costs when it's free." I couldn't agree more.



[cartoons by Eric Allie]

Thomas Sowell gives a dose of reality to counter some of the latest 'health care' rhetoric:

Insurance is not medical care. Indeed, health care is not the same as medical care. Countries with universal health care do not have more or better medical care.

The bottom line is medical care. But the rhetoric and the talking points are about insurance. Many people who could afford health insurance do not choose to have it because they know that medical care will be available at the nearest emergency room, whether they have insurance or not.

This is especially true for young people, who do not anticipate long-term medical problems and who can always get a broken leg or an allergy attack taken care of at an emergency room -- and spend their money on a more upscale lifestyle.

This may not be a wise decision but it is their decision, and there is no reason why other people should lose the right to make decisions for themselves because some people make questionable decisions.

If you don't think government bureaucrats can make questionable decisions, then you haven't dealt with many government bureaucrats

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Read it all, of course, twicea day, as needed. Then call me in the morning if symptoms of political insanity persist.