Free Veterinary Care for the Free Ponies the Government Will Provide

I caught some of the Democratic candidates at the AFL-CIO forum on the TeeVee last night. The candidates were promising ponies for everyone. I can’t wait to get mine.

One concept on which the candidates seemed to agree was providing health care for every American, although there are some differences in how they would go about this and how fast they would move. This is a serious problem for a lot of Americans. When my stepmother was in her last illness, her meds alone cost almost $4,000 a month. My father, severely disabled himself, had to keep working in the factory at personal risk until his seventies to keep insurance coverage to extend her life. A lot of folks’ employers have them by the short and curlies because of the leverage of health insurance. The only medical care that a sizeable number of people get is when they are in prison.

I suppose I should be a good “vulgar libertarian” about this and advocate free market solutions. Why should the consumption of health care, say life saving cancer surgery, be treated any differently from the decision to buy a stereo? I have pretty good insurance, so this is easy for me to advocate.

But I just can’t get all worked up about the prospect that working class folks might receive an entitlement like this. When I think of all the money that gets funneled through the government to the military industrial complex and the surveillance and security apparatus and other forms of corporate welfare, I think that I would much rather have the money stolen from me go to working men and women than to spats wearing tycoons. I’m getting taxed one way or another. I’m going to have to live in under a massive welfare/warfare state, and I would rather the spending be tilted to welfare than warfare. I’ll take the Democrats and their promise of a pony in every paddock any day over the Republicans and the corporate feeding frenzy that they oversee. At least I have a shot at getting the pony.

Except if Ron Paul gets the nomination, of course. Then it’s a different story. I hope he does, but I suspect that the ticket will be Rudy McRomney/Huckleberry Brokeback.

I know, I know. Universal healthcare provided by the government will be an excuse to regulate all aspects of our lifestyles. They don’t need an excuse! They already claim this. There is nothing beneath the state’s notice.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating for any government program or for universal health care provided by the government. I’m just saying that I’m not as incensed about entitlements as I am about other spending.