America....the next Animal Farm?

In junior high, I had to read "Animal Farm." Thought it sucked. Why the hell am I reading a book about talking pigs and horses and what's the big deal. Fast forward 25 years and now realize it may be one of the most profound books I've ever read. If you haven't read it, pick up a copy. Easy read really. Otherwise, check out Wikipidia and look it up.

I sat there tonight watching President Obama speak and I thought, have we really come to this? First, I have to say, the president is doing exactly what he promised while campaigning, so if you voted for him thinking he would govern from the center and are now pissed, well, should have thought things through a little more. But I digress. Our government was not set up to "give" to the American people anything but the opportunity to succeed. You see, I feel that is what we have lost sight of. The greatest gift anyone can have is the gift of an opportunity to succeed....and fail. Equal health care is not a right. I admit the health care I offer to our employees is good, damn good, but they have to pay. As a small business owner, I am only able to pay a certain amount for health care. Nothing would make me happier then to be able to pick up 100% of every employees health insurance as well as their entire family, but the simple fact is I have a BUDGET I must live within and if I don't I am not doing my job as the head of the company.

But you see, manditory health care "sounds" nice. It's politically correct. Frankly, it doesn't really affect me unless the government says to me what we offer isn't good enough. But the dirty little secret very few are talking about is this....."Under this plan, you would be able to keep your current plan if you choose." Sorry folks, I'm calling b.s. on this one. Let me tell you why....

Say I work for ABC company. (A fictious name, not the television station) The leadership at my company look at the options they have out there. They can either keep their existing insurance OR pay 8% into a federal fund and offer their employees government run health care. In choosing the latter of the two, they will save $250,000. Now I ask you, which do you think the company would choose? At that point, I DON"T HAVE THE CHOICE. I have the choice to keep my company insurance, find my own, but at this point competition has been deminished so costs have increased or pay a fine because I choose not to have insurance. Not really great choices.

So the thought of government run health care scares the hell out of me because most of the time when the government gets involved in private industry they manage to mess things up. Don't believe me, take a look at Amtrak's balance sheet sometime.

So, again I ask the question.....at what point was everyone "entitled" to quality health care and more importantly, who defines what quality health care is? Does that mean we all have doctors following us around like the president? We already have the law that states a hospital may not refuse service if a patient does not have health insurance. We have free clinics. A doctor in my community saw a gap in health care for the underprivilidged and did something about it....He started Clinic with a Heart. You see, I believe in a simple biblical phrase....."Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

If we continually mandate taxes, fees and penalties on companies (yes people, companies create wealth, jobs and opportunites. Governments do not) and have a government not able or willing to make the tough decisions and live within their limits, we will eventually undo everthing our founding fathers set up.

The cold reality is life is not equal. It is possible to be fair to all and have it not be equal and that is ok. Not everyone has the same. Some have more. It may come from luck, hard work or hitting the powerball. Whatever the reason, it is the country we live in. The flip side is, some have risked more, taken more chances, failed, learned and put it all on the line. To them I say good job. Well done! Reap the rewards of your hard work. But the other reality is, I believe in the good of humans. We help those in need. Yes, there are those who do not, but for the most part, people are generous....when they are not forced to be.

I hope, for my children's sake, we stop trying to be "equal." I fear that if we do, there is a good chance we will go the way of Animal Farm.