Reflection on the Election

I have reflected on the recent election almost constantly for the last few days.  What does this mean for the future?  Where do we go from here?  How do we right the ship, not of state, but rather the thought processes of an electorate who votes for dependency on a grand scale? 

I am reminded of the story that is told about the school teacher who was going to teach her young class about elections by having an election for class president.  A little boy candidate gets up and talks about how he would like to set a committee to help the classroom by improving the gerbil area and maybe another to set up a book loan system of favorite books for the classroom.  He was followed by a little girl candidate who stood up and simply stated I am going to have ice cream.  Needless to say she was cheered and eventually won the election.  She didn’t say how she was going to pay for the ice cream, she only painted a picture of the short term benefit.

In the same way the electorate who turned out voted for ice cream.  The ice cream takes the form of free health care, free food stamps, 99 weeks, nearly two years, of unemployment, free cell phones (absolute necessity), I don’t have the room to list all the “free” stuff.  The big question is how is all the free stuff going to be paid for?  The proposal is the taxes will be raised on the rich of course; that always sells good.  The truth is there aren’t enough rich people to pay for all the free stuff.   

Consequently the burden will fall on the millions of middle income earners just like it always has.  Other ways to raise revenue is to borrow from our children and grandchildren; borrow from China and others and let the kids pay it back and we will spend it today.  Also you can inflate the money supply.  This lets the government print and spend the money at today’s value.  By the time it filters to the People it has lost value and this is called inflation tax. 

Inflation tax is a silent but deadly form of tax that stinks to high heaven.  It affects all the people equally.  There are no deductions even for the poor, since the poor can only spend what they get on necessities it hurts them the most.  People my age (6 decades) will recall past inflation in the late 70s and early 80s.  Government will respond like it always does with wage and price controls and rent controls but it will NOT lower spending by government. 

As to Obamacare, a truly deadly decision for Liberty, it will never live up to its promises over the long haul.  You can base this on every other country that has tried it around the world.  The unadvertised truth is that it will create a dependent public who will worship at the feet of “free” health care.  The good book states the borrower is the servant to the lender.  The point is that a person who is dependent on another will always serve the one upon whom they depend, in this case that will be the government.

This deadly program will start for real in 2014.  By 2016 there will be no one who can possibly get elected that threatens repeal of this deadly program.  Therefore in my opinion you can kiss our republic, which was built on Liberty, independence, self-reliance, and Biblical principles goodbye.  The takers now outnumber the producers. 

By the way you better stock pile guns and ammo because the Supreme Court will end up being stacked against the citizen and with the government and gun control.  Government traditionally hates an armed populace.  Never turn them in.  We are about to follow classic historical patterns.

Is Public Saftey Important?

I enjoy getting comments on my writing.  Two people called for clarification on my letter last week; they followed the theme, “Is any public safety important?”  My comments could have been taken to mean no attention to public safety is necessary.  That isn’t what I meant.  So let’s take this apart a little more.

What did the Pilgrims move to America for?  Was it for: better streets, better neighborhoods, safer environment, better working condition laws, improved sewer system, better police protection, etc?   No, they moved to no streets, an unsafe neighborhood, maybe environmentally safer if you don’t count wild Indians and wild animals, worse working conditions, no sewer system, no police protection.  So what did the Pilgrims value above public safety?  The answer is Liberty.

They moved to a distinctly risky environment, with no public (governmental) amenities or services.  They moved from an area of increased public safety and tyranny, but minimal Liberty, to an area of substantially greater risk for something we call Liberty.  The Pilgrims cherished Liberty above all of the previously stated government ‘services.’ 

Our Founders did not fight a war for independence for the purpose of gaining increased public safety; they fought a bloody war for increased Liberty.  What we find as we delegate more and more importance to a host of bureaus to increase public safety and security is that each one removes one more piece of Liberty.  So where does it end?

This week in the news we find a school in Florida is contemplating putting in cameras to see if students throw away their veggies in the school lunch program.  At what point will the powers that be decide to penalize adults if they eat too much of the wrong food, like say pizza, and not enough broccoli?  With the advent of Obamacare the government now has a vested interest in seeing what you eat, how much you eat and whether or not we are in full compliance with the recommended daily hygiene list. 

Thomas Jefferson said it best, “that government governs best that governs least.”  So what government services are absolutely essential?  Do I want to do without peace officers?  Well no, not really.  What about OSHA?  All I can say is Liberty has an element of risk.  Do I need government inspections to see if my business is clean enough for its intended purpose?  No, the public will determine that.  The People will vote with their dollars by taking them elsewhere, if my business doesn’t suit them.  If your eating establishment is filthy, don’t count on me eating there. 

A few weeks ago my son was badly injured in a horse accident.  He was transported to the hospital for emergency treatment and examination.  His pain was so great that morphine was administered for the pain.  However inadvertently the amount of morphine he was given was well in excess of what should have been given.  He became violently sick and was sick for several days from the overdose.  Now I don’t say that we should “outlaw” morphine, I would recommend that the overdose be corrected to an amount that is beneficial without harming the patient.  Another example is Warfarin or “rat poison,” administered in judicious amounts it can be beneficial.

The same is true for what I have called “Governmenticin.”  A judicious level can be good, too much and you have an overdose.  I say that we currently have an overdose in our country of Governmenticin.  That overdose is producing a very sick economy and a culture of people who have become dependent or addicted to Governmenticin and are very ill economically and/or socially because of it.

Thanks for the comments, keep them coming.  If you would like to correspond with me on this contact me at: editorial@pike912.org or leave a message at 217-285-2134, or follow my blog at: pike912.blogspot.com.

Socialized Medicine - Obamacare

For my office newsletter I prefer to write about the exciting “newsy” advances in the wonders of modern chiropractic I can’t help but place the concerns I have for the health of our great Republic on the front burner.  These issues, at least in my mind, have special bearing on whether our children will even have the liberty to seek out and pay for their choice in preferred health care.  If the National Health Bill ever gets implemented the government will decide who gets what. 

The most massive amount of health expenditures occur in the last 20 years of life.  In the last 20 years of life people are, in general, not as productive in society, economically speaking.  They do not pay as much in taxes however they consume the most health care.  Consequently a flow chart will be used by those in charge of “approving” and paying for procedures.  The easiest way to cut health care costs will be to limit the health care to those who are “past” their prime income producing and therefore tax producing years. 

For example if you are 70 years old and you need open heart surgery the flow chart would be activated.  You’re 70 years, you pay no taxes, and the country has no hope of getting any return from you.  The cost would be $500,000 plus for an uncomplicated surgery and all you would do is live and collect more benefits with no offsetting production.  You would be denied the service as too expensive for no return to the economy. 

If you were 35, you would likely pay taxes, be productive within the work place, you would be around to help support your children and might or could pay taxes for many years therefore you might get the surgery.  It sounds cold and cruel but that’s how it will be done if we dump our capitalist system for a socialist / Marxist nation. 

Inversely, as demonstrated in other countries with nationalized health care, people will go to the doctor for health concerns which they never would have in the past  ( a hang nail for instance), because it doesn’t cost them anything anyway.  These issues will clog the system and utilize valuable system resources decreasing availability for the truly sick.

In some of these countries, even if you can afford to pay for your own health care, the physician is not allowed to take patients outside of the system or the Dr. will go to jail.  Hopefully you would be able to go to Mexico just as the Canadians and many others from all over the world come to America now.