An Answer to the $64,000 Question

The following Repubican whine dripped into my email today:

Subject: Finally The $64,000 Question Was Asked

More and more are asking this same question. I think it should not let up. The congress has had too many perks too long, and they have spent tax money with abandon.

This is what I've been saying to everyone, if it's good enough for the average person, it should be good enough for our (so called) leaders!!!!!!


FINALLY...THE $64,000 QUESTION WAS ASKED...

YESTERDAY ON "ABC-TV" (BETTER KNOWN AS THE ALL BARRACK CHANNEL)

DURING THE "NETWORK SPECIAL ON HEALTH CARE".... OBAMA WAS ASKED:

"MR. PRESIDENT WILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GIVE UP YOUR CURRENT HEALTH CARE PROGRAM AND JOIN THE NEW 'UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM' THAT THE REST OF US WILL BE ON ????"..... (BET YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER)....

THERE WAS A STONEY SILENCE AS OBAMA IGNORED THE QUESTION AND CHOSE NOT TO ANSWER IT !!!...

IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF SENATORS WERE ASKED T HE SAME QUESTION AND THERE RESPONSE WAS..."WE WILL THINK ABOUT IT."

AND THEY DID. IT WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY ON THE NEWS THAT THE "KENNEDY HEALTH CARE BILL" WAS WRITTEN INTO THE NEW HEALTH CARE REFORM INITIATIVE ENSURING THAT THAT CONGRESS WILL BE 100% EXEMPT !

SO, THIS GREAT NEW HEALTH CARE PLAN THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU AND I... IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR OBAMA, HIS FAMILY OR CONGRESS....??

WE (THE AMERICAN PUBLIC) NEED TO STOP THIS PROPOSED DEBACLE ASAP !!!!... THIS IS TOTALLY WRONG !!!!!

PERSONALLY, I CAN ONLY ACCEPT A UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL THAT EXTENDS TO EVERYONE... NOT JUST US LOWLY CITIZENS... WHILE THE WASHINGTON "ELITE" KEEP RIGHT ON WITH THEIR GOLD-PLATED HEALTH CARE COVERAGES.

IF YOU AGREE PLEASE PASS THIS O N ....IF NOT PLAN TO SUFFER WITH THE OBAMA HEALTH CARE PLAN ....FOR FREE..... WHILE OUR SELF-SERVING POLITICIANS MAKE SURE THAT THEY TAKE CARE OF THEIR BUTTS AT OUR EXPENSE.

Here is my response:

I was standing in line at the post office on Saturday waiting for my turn as postal people wth cob webs on their arms slowly went about their business slowly. Someone said, this is the way it will be under ObamaCare, and he chortled at his own little joke.

What is the fallacy with my friend's joke at the post office and this interchange below?

It is the same fallacy to liberterianism generally. That is, government help is not necessary if you are rich and healthy.

You need to experience the sting of poverty first hand as I did in my early 20s to recognize that charities, churches, and families are not enough.

Health care is today rationed by cost, and there are folks that cannot afford to pay for a $5,000 injection of inteferon. So, as regards to the post office line analogy, there are millions of people who are not standing in line at all today. As regards to the idea of equity of health care between government officials and the public, I think the questioner is missing the obvious point: it is not to reduce existing benefits to those who have such benefits in either the private or public sector. It is to provide health benefits to those who automatically don't have such benefits, such as me. (As a consultant, our insurance is not provided.)

A secondary point is that politicans have the right to decide for themselves what public services are appropriate for their families. For example, Carter made a point of sending his daughter Amy to a public school in Washington, DC, while Clinton and Obama did what you or I would have done-- send our children to the best school available without respect to whether it is public and private, while still continuing to fight for increased funding to public schoosl.

I have some concerns about the health plan idea, such as privacy issues and the overall cost. I'm also concerned about death panels :)

I enjoy reading these kind of e-mails, as it gives the boys a chance to play my ongoing game-- spot the fallacy.