I am largely disillusioned with politics. Both by the politicians themselves as well as many of the ideas they espouse. Party lines are more blurry now then they ever have been in the past. I am not sure if Republicans are simply cheap Democrats (that is a Rick Santorum phrase, not mine) or if Democrats are expensive Republicans. Either way, it seems that it all comes down to money, not right and wrong. Although I can't stand the self-righteous intolerance of the far right, I equally cannot stomach the whatever-feels-good attitude of the left. I do, however, find myself much more attracted to the idea of the importance of personal responsiblity and personal accountablity that is predominatly preached by conservatives. Liberals seem to think that I am too dumb to take care of myself and therefore need to be watched over by the government. However, this seems to an up and coming idea among some conservatives as well.
I just watched a 30 minute talk given by Rick Santorum at the University of Dubuque last week. He spoke as a guest of the American Future Fund. It was a good talk that dealt with the fundamental problems underlying the dogma of both parties. One of the points he makes is that if healthcare reform passes, we will experience a permanant change in the idea of America. Already the government owns GM and parts of the financial industry. When it gets its hands on healthcare (more than it already has, that is), we will be on a heading towards an iceburg that we can't change. Why not uncouple health insurance from employment like auto or life insurance? That way issues of portablity and pre-existing conditions and eventually price, will be non-issues or in terms of price, at least manageable.
Every year, the University sends me a contract letter telling me how much I will be making in the coming year. I have great benefits - about $18,000 a year worth. I have a great healthcare plan but my issue with this is why not pay me that extra $18,000 a year and allow me to choose the coverage I feel is necessary? I would at least like the option to make that choice. Herein lies the fundamental problems with both parties. Republicans and Democrats simply assume that I am unable to look after myself and therefore perpetuate this ongoing problem. Any "fix" of the healthcare system will only be a band aid unless we focus on our responsibilty to care for ourselves and design a fix that supports personal accountablity. I, for one, am tired of paying for the government to bail out big corporations and lazy individuals with no sense of responsibity. Ronald Reagan once said, "Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." The government belongs to us. We need to curb its appetite.
It all started with Michelle Lewis from Ohio, and Jason Clark from California. We met on a bus in Chicago in January of 1992. This is a blog that documents our crazy life.
5 comments:
I completely agree with you. I don't recognize either party any more. I don't want to claim either.
The only thing I can say about your job providing you benefits rather than just paying you more may be because so many people can't seem to save that extra or are not responsible enough to do so. If the employee has health insurance and other benefits, this provides a safety net for the company to make sure their employee is taken care of so they will show up to work. If they spend the wage without saving, then they have no benefits. And, honestly, how many of us would save that much per year to help take care of our families? If the washer breaks down, we've gotta fix it... Do you know what I mean?
I personally hate all politics right now.
I understand your point and that is exactly my point. Am I not smart enough or disciplined enough to purchase a health plan that fits the needs of my family? If we got rid of the volume discount power of large companies, health insurance would become more competitive and therefore cheaper. If you attach the word biological (or any derivation of that word in the broadest sense) to anything, the price goes up on a logrithmic scale. I just got a new main board installed on my confocal microscope. If didn't have a service contract, I would have been charged $23,000 for the part and labor. Do you really think an MRI is worth $1800? Of course not.
$18,000 in benefits comes tax free. If it was just added to your salary for you to use at your discretion, it'd be taxed.
My company can pay me an extra $40/month, or I can just use my company credit card to pay my cell phone bill. The non-cash benefits in some cases make at least a little sense.
However, sometimes you just need cash to rebuild your deck and not the non-cash benefits or bonuses you get.
Those benefits will not be tax free if President Obama gets his way.
Rick Santorum is one of the good ones.
Dad Clark
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