Lucky Numbers: 15-19-24-26

Just indulge me. Please.

So, I have really been thinking a lot about this political race (despite my best efforts,) and feel the need to make one of my opinions publicly clear. You may get the idea that I am being fed this information by right-wing conservatives; Rest assured, I have not been exposed to that since before the NDC/NRC and this is a product of my own research. Before I do that, however, I want to point out the fact that people will vote for what is advantageous to themselves, not anyone else. That's a blessing that comes from our 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments of the United States Constitution.

So, here you go:


Not many people are upset with an idea like socialized medicine. Free healthcare for everyone sounds pretty enticing given that medical bills are not exactly "a drop in the bucket." I believe that there are some serious problems with the current healthcare system, but changing over to a socialized plan would be disastrous!

Juan was on the subway one day when he noticed a button on someone's backpack that read, "Healthcare is not a privilege, it's a right!" Using that logic, having food is also a right, correct? Does that mean that the government should buy food for everybody?! Well, when someone doesn't have the means for food, what happens? The government provides ways for them to get it (i.e. Food Stamps, WIC, soup kitchens, shelters.) Back to healthcare; when someone doesn't have the means for proper healthcare, the government also provides ways for that to be afforded to them (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid, WIC, etc.)** I know this sounds harsh, but I have to be blunt: people are capable. It is an innate quality of being part of the human race. Although it is difficult sometimes, people are capable, and if the government does not give them the chance to be capable, they will constantly use it as a crutch. I know it would seem a lot easier if the government would handle all of the medical expenses that one may incur, but consider the results if people didn't take care of that responsibility to the best of their ability:

• If you knew you could get free healthcare, it would be more likely that with every cough and sneeze, you would want to go see a nurse. And it wouldn't just be you, it would be everyone you know. This happened in the Soviet Union, and they had to abandon that form of healthcare. Lines in Canada for Medicare attention are so long it takes many months to be seen by one doctor.
• Materialistically, the system will deteriorate. Everything will be cheaper--and I do not use the word "inexpensive", I use the word "cheap". Innovation will be turned from creating something new and better to how can I make this with less money? Why? Because the government will be paying for it so research will just become a way to get a paycheck, not a race to success.
  
• Our economy is not exactly thriving at the moment, and the effects of the socialized system would eat away the value of a dollar like acid. The catch-phrase could be, "Who is going to pay for it? Not the government--the people!" Taxes. It's the only way to do it. Higher taxes are not good for an economy in the situation ours is in right now. What gets us out of this mess? Consumers spending money. (Econ 101, Dr. Wimmer, I did learn something!) higher taxes = less spending money = lower economic net income = we're in a worse place than when we started. So if you are no longer in charge of your medical bills, you spend less, and the "...Comes around, goes around..." starts.
• This is the part that affects me and Juan, so this is why I have to vote against socialized healthcare: We will remain hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt if this goes through. It's not funny and it's not right. Anyone who has gone through 4 years of college doing undergrad work, plus at least 4 more years of professional school can tell you that it is not easy. This country is run under that understanding that a man or woman will reap the rewards of their own labor. So why should anyone put in 8+ years and thousands and thousands of dollars into their education just to earn a low, government-based salary which will never allow them to climb out of the great hole of debt?
• That brings me to the results that will affect everyone: healthcare workers will no longer be professionals. Trade and technical schools will produce the dentists who will perform your extensive root canals or the doctor who conducts Coronary artery bypass surgeries. Another thing I learned in my Econ. class was that there are incentives for everything. Garbage men are paid quite well, as well as construction workers. Why? Because not a lot of people like to do that work, so the incentive is a higher paycheck. Why would someone invest thousands of dollars into his/her education without an incentive? They wouldn't, and we will be left with downgraded care and less-educated technicians.

I don't know what the answers to our healthcare problems are, however, if we implement a socialized medicine plan, it would be a definite step backward.

As you can imagine, I could go on; however, I will just finish this post by saying that I hesitated in publishing it because I know that not everyone thinks the same way as I do (and it could possibly expose myself to some heated, yet friendly, debates.) I hope that you know that even if you don't agree with me, that's okay. Like I said, people agree with what is advantageous to themselves, and you may not see my point of view as advantageous per se. However, it is important enough to me that everyone is informed about this that I want to spread the word, even if it is in my own little blog-o-sphere. And don't forget:

(I just had to throw that in.)

**I would like to clear up the third paragraph that some may read in a different way than intended: I believe that the government help that people receive is good and right when used as intended--as a temporary help through very hard times. My squabble is with permanent uses of government aids when people are still physically capable of earning a paycheck that provides for their needs. Hope that clears up any misunderstandings.