Socialism: Coming Soon to a Town Near You!

Unless we as citizens of the greatest nation in the world continue to take a stand and work against the radical wishes of east and west coast politicians, we have the following to look forward too (sooner rather than later [real stories from various parts of the continent upon which we as a family live. Hint: it is not North America]):

1. "Your daughter has some kind of growth in her brain. We are unable to see it well on a CT scan. She needs an MRI but, in order for your state health insurance to pay for it, you must wait 6-8 months before the MRI can be done. And oh, by the way, don't worry!" A doctor addressing some of our close friends in another country.

2. "You will be able to have the chemotherapy you need for your cancer because you are not paying enough for your state health insurance plan. You may pay with cash out of your own pocket, if you wish, but we will not give you the medicines you need; or you may pay a higher premium for your state plan and then we might be able to help you." A doctor to a cancer patient denying the necessary chemo because the state (think federal in this case) has levels of coverage and well, they didn't pay the right premium.

3. A daughter was born to a family two months premature. The hospital in which she was born did not have a neo-natal intensive care unit, so the baby was taken from the mother and sent by ambulance across the city to another hospital. Admittedly the total hospital bill was much cheaper than what would have been required in the U.S., but the care was frightening to say the least. The parents were denied any contact with the doctor in charge; questions were forbidden; and the sense was that the sooner the preemies died, the better off for everyone else. The mother of the baby was a nurse which at least allowed the parents a bit of news surreptitously as she would sneak glances at the baby's chart when possible to see what progress their baby was making.

4. Many parking areas in a city are made of cobblestone. One year ago, a group of workers, mostly immigrants, showed up and removed the cobblestones, cleaned off the dirt, and put them back in the same place. They did this up and down both sides of the street. Why? Don't know. What did it do to make the street nicer? Nothing. But it was certainly "make work" that kept the unemployment numbers low and allowed the citizens extremely high taxes to go even higher to pay for this kind of "government stimulus program."

5. As one walks the sidewalks of some cities, one cannot help but notice how uneven they are and full of lines and holes due to constant digging up. When sidewalks are dug up for new telephone lines, for example, the cable company will not also do their work at the same time, nor will the gas company, the electric company, the sewer company, and whatever other utility has lines and pipes under the sidewalk. So the telephone people will do their work, fill in the ditches and asphalt over them leaving yet another uneven spot of construction scarring. In one or two years, another utility will come along and dig up the same spot to do their work. But again, it keeps the unemployment numbers low. Government stimilus again!

6. Sales at shops must be approved by the government. Competition is not encouraged; in fact it is discouraged. Commodity prices are the same all over (no gas wars here!) so one hopes to be able to travel to another country where sugar might be cheaper; or flour; or oil, etc. Automobiles have a 32% sales tax placed upon them. In one country a discount grocery chain, also operating in the U.S., was publicly chastized by the government because they were making so money and the more expensive chains were losing big Euros. "Not fair," opined the government. "You cannot make more money than other grocery stores. You must raise your prices so that things are fair." No word as to whether the grocery chain obeyed. (Perhaps they went to a Town Hall meeting and protested to their government representative loudly, and then were accused of being right-wing terroristic fear and hate mongerers!)

7. If you must go to the doctor and can pay in cash, they are very happy. The state pays them almost nothing through the state insurance program, thus the care is oftentimes slipshod and suspect. If you need an operation or test and things look grim for you, good luck. It is better to plan your funeral service than try to wait for the needed test or surgery.

8. The elderly in one country fear having to go to a nursing home or geriatric home. They would rather commit suicide rather than have to go to one of these places. They know that if they are sent to a home they will soon be dead anyway, but it will be a longer and more painful process than if they killed themselves at home. They know the plan is to simply dispose of them, and the sooner the better.

9. Discplining one's children is against the law. So the streets are filled with characters that despise their parents, teachers, and any other kinds of authority. The state doesn't know what to do when their young people are killed while drinking and driving. Or they simply look the other way, smile sheeplishly, and assume the badness will soon be outgrown. Schools are simply places for drugs, cigarettes, and sex; especially the frequent school trips taken by middle and high school students. Teachers are angry, disinterested, and really don't care if a student makes it or not. There is no authority and no respect. Children throw fits and are smiled upon by the parents who secretly would love to put the hand of education upon the rear seats of the one throwing the fit. But the government knows best, so no seat of education.

So, if you don't like responsibility, decision making, having to choose which food shop to buy at, just wait. The government will soon be doing all of that for you/us and won't life be so much the better. Hey, "we" already own car plants, banks, and who knows what else. Whats wrong with the hospitals, doctors, grocery stores, shopping malls, Dillards, and your local McDonalds? And 55% in taxes to boot! What a deal. I for one can hardly wait!