ANOTHER CRISIS

The only formula that can be applied to Health Care in any and all countries is that there is no common formula. Each country must assess its own capabilities, resources, general health conditions and, if properly done, it can then apply the necessary measures. But, throughout history this has been and continues to be a chore for the state. You can call the system what you want but it is still, and should be, government-inspired, controlled and administered.”        FDR

“Professor, I return after a couple of months abroad and instead of finding the media engaged in another maniac revolution involving Brittney, Jo, George, Lou, a sports star, Cynthia and Senator What is his mane,  I find a repulsive exposition whose theme seems to be the Health Care Plan. What is the story?”

The Professor smiled knowingly and said:

“Old story my friend. One of the factions is raising as much hell as they can against the Health Care Plan. It is both a political strategy and also a convenient way to retain some of the perks subtly and not so subtly provided by the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, medical equipment supply companies, and the legion of ‘advisers’, clinical gurus and ambulance chasers.”

“Political?”

“Yup. If they can raise enough hell to force a negative vote for the Health Plan, it translates as a serious defeat for the Obama administration.”

“And the other reason/’

“Ah! The perks. You know, out of 35,000 lobbyists in Washington, a good portion of them, keep their ‘good friends in government’ supplied with bubble gum and other inducements to be nice and friendly, just like some goat cheese dealers did during the Roman Empire, when they kept the provincial governments and top bureaucrats well supplied with Moroccan rugs, Egyptian companions and barrels of wine from Terni, as long as they kept buying their cheese to feed the troops and other bureaucrats!”

“But how about the protests seen in the town hall meetings? Aren’t the people expressing their thoughts, inner feelings and deep sentiments, just like Tom Jefferson wanted them to do?”

“Ah! That is a bit of dirty pool. Here is where the Art and Technology of Distortion, Misinterpretation and Malice, earns its greatest accolade. The opposition grabs a small detail remotely connected with the Plan and twists it and pollutes it in such a way that it attracts those with a very limited capacity to distinguish a Stop Sign from a poem by Hollingsworth. Then they enlist some of those people that satisfy some perverse inner aspiration to add to the mayhem; people like old Rush, Glenn, Bill, Sean, Sarah, Newt and my cousin Elmer who was born an idiot and has improved with age and is now a perfect one!”

“What is the solution, Profe?”

“Go away for another couple of months!”