Declaration of Independence

(Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776)

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America

// //

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. –Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

They say that the first step is to admit you have a problem.  I admit to two addictions – the game of golf and the never ending quest to find the magic club or clubs that will make me a tour caliber player (NOT!!!!)

So, recently, I have gone hog-wild on ebay.  For the last couple of seasons, I have played a custom made set of Maltby clubs – they served their purpose, but I really was not getting the performance out of them that I wanted.

[CRUISE REFERENCE COMING UP FOR BEE]

I am always looking on ebay, but don’t usually do that much buying.  Not this week – I started out by bidding on a set of Nike Slingshot OSS irons.  I had played these same irons in St. Thomas on my last CRUISE (gratuitous cruise reference here for the Empress) when we sailed the Carnival Liberty on its Exotic Eastern Caribbean cruise.  You can find pictures of the course I played at http://musingsofjustjon.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/some-cruise-pictures-of-golf/ – and played very well, I might add.

So, there I was, hitting the confirm bid on ebay for a set of these irons – and I won.  Now I have new clubs.

But, I can not stop.  Next, I ordered 72 almost new Precept Laddie X balls – these balls are usually one-hit wonders that are gathered from the bottom of some pond on some golf course.

Is that enough?  Absolutely not.  I also bid on and won a Titleist 983K driver – I have always wanted a Titleist driver and this one seemed right.

What else?  Oh, yeah – I bid on two (count them, two) Burrows MAC Powersphere drivers – not for the drivers, but the shafts that come with them.  The club was a bit of a novelty when it came out – check out this picture to see why

Not your normal looking golf club.  Unfortunately, Burrows went out of business, because the clubs had a tendency to collapse when hit.  But, as I said, I bought them for the shafts, not the heads.  Who knows, maybe I can sell the clubheads for the titanium.

So, you can see that I have been a busy boy on ebay recently.  Right now, I have a bid in on an Adams Tight Lies 2 #7 wood (22 degrees), as I already have the four wood and like this particular model.

As I said, ebay can be addictive – who says I want to be cured

Peace, Love and keep it in the short grass

My best to all this 4th of July weekend.  Be safe in whatever you do.

JustJon

Have you visited the Hubble Telescope website?  It contains some really cool pictures from the Hubble.  I thought today I would present some of my favorites.

Let’s start with Three Moons over Jupiter

Next, we see The Moon of Saturn in Transit

Next, we celebrate with Celestial Fireworks

which are celebrating The Pillars of Life

Here is The Cat’s Eye Nebula

Here is The Cone Nebula, which I am currently using for my desktop wallpaper

And, in honor of the Grand Cayman tour taken by so many, here is The Stingray Nebula

If you want to see more images, visit http://hubblesite.org/gallery/

JustJon

In health care, we codify just about everything numerically.  Test results are reported in numbers, reasons for admission to the hospital are expressed in Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), outpatient services are reported in Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, diagnoses and procedures are reported in International Classification of Diseases – 9th Edition – Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes.

ICD-9 codes are the most comprehensive codification system that we use in the industry.  Most of these codes are numeric in nature and are used to describe a diagnosis (724.2 is Lumbago) or procedures (45.23 is a diagnostic colonoscopy).  But, some of these codes are “V” codes and are used to describe factors influencing health status and contact with health services.

Some of these codes are fun to use in conversation amongst the knowledgeable – V62.1 represents Adverse Effects of Work Environment; V62.4 is Social Maladjustment.  We frequently send emails to each other using these “V” codes when circumstances dictate.

Today, I sent one of my colleagues – I was expressing my frustration by asking how we should code a case where an individual expresses his frustration by bending over at the waist and running head first into a brick wall.  We concluded that the case would likely get coded as a 307.3 (head banging), 800.00 (closed skull fracture with unspecified state of conciousness) and the aforementioned V62.1 and V62.4.

I bring up V62.89, because it seems to describe politicians perfectly.  V62.89 classifies Borderline Intellectual Functioning, which seems to describe what certain politicians are suffering from these days.  Mind you, I know that this malady is not unique to Republicans, but recently they have held a monopoly on this affliction.

Today, the Governor of South Carolina resigned as Chairman of the National Governors Association because it was revealed that he was having an affair with a woman from Argentina.  Worse yet, he dropped out of sight for the last five days to go visit her, leaving most people in SC to wonder who was running the state.

Six days ago, Senator John Ensign of Nevada admitted to having an affair with a married campaign aide.  His revelation lead to his resigning his GOP Hypocrisy Leadership position – remember, he called for both President Clinton and former Senator Larry Craig (D-IA) to resign after their respective V62.89 episodes.

Other famous politicians who suffer from V62.89 -

Senator John Edwards, who had an affair while his wife was battling breast cancer.  Talk about hootspa.

Everyone’s favorite gay liberal, Representative Barney Fife Franks of Massachusetts, who not only used a male prostitute, but allowed the individual to live in his home and practice his profession out of the Congressman’s house.

And, let us not forget Governor Elliott Spitzer of New York, whose wonderful behavior lead to his resignation last year.

All in all, we have some fine examples of Borderline Intellectional Function (V62.89), potentially an Adverse Effect of their Work Environment (V62.1).  Clearly, they all suffer from conditions covered under V40 (Mental and Behavioral Problems.

Personally, I suffer from 300.3 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in that I am obsessed with taking cruises.  If I don’t take enough cruises, my 300.02 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) tends to transform into 300.01 (Panic Disorder), which eventually becomes 300.1 (Hysteria).

So, please take pity on me and someone send me on a cruise – any cruise to pretty much anywhere (Ocho Rios and the Dominican need not apply).

JustJon

I have volunteered to assist the US Golf Association with the 2009 Walker Cup Match at Merion Golf Club.

What is the Walker Cup Match, you ask?  It is the amatuer equivalent of the Ryder Cup Matches that the professionals play.

Every two years, the best amatuer golfers from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) meet to compete for the Walker Cup.  The Walker Cup is named after George Herbert Walker, who was the President of the USGA in 1920, when the matches were originally held.  Oh, yes – he was also the grandfather of President George Herbert Walker Bush and the great-grandfather of President George Walker Bush.

The matches will be held at one of the greatest courses in the world – the Merion East Course at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore PA.  I have had the pleasure of playing Merion East once – I refer to it as the greatest 116 I ever shot in my life.

So, anyway, don’t make any plans for me on September 12th, 13th & 14th, as I will be at Merion working my five hour shift, then enjoying an up close and personal view of some great golf.

Looking forward to it, I am

JustJon

My oldest brother emailed the family a picture that he found on-line.

What is so cool about this picture is that my father is right in the middle, at work at his drafting table at Vermont Structural Steel Corporation in Burlington, Vermont.  Dad is intently drawing at the middle table behind the man with the pipe.  This picture is from around 1951, shortly after Dad left the Vermont Highway Department and began his 35 year career with VSSC.

I can remember visiting Dad’s office in later years – he ultimately rose to the position of VP, Sales for the company and had an office that looks an awful lot like the office that is illustrated in this picture.  Can’t say for certain that it is the same one, but it sure looks like it.

Good memories for Father’s Day, even though Father’s Day holds sad memories for me as well.  In 1997, on the day before Father’s Day, I received a call from my oldest brother telling me that Dad was in a bad way and not expected to last too long – he had suffered from lung cancer and emphysema, making him miserable as he had to be connected to an oxygen tank at all times.  Anyway, about two hours later, I got word that he had passed away.

So, Father’s Day holds good and bad memories – this year, this picture from my brother makes it better than most years since Dad passed away.

I miss you, Dad – Happy Father’s Day.

Jon

Just last week, Lala commented on her blog about the police blotter in Small Town USA http://redaisy.blogspot.com/2009/06/small-town.html.  Ironically, I commented:

Be thankful that you live in such an exciting town and are not, instead, reading the police blotter in a town like Philadelphia. The only word that comes to mind is – disgusting.

Sadly, my comment was a lot truer and hit closer to home than I think I have ever encountered.

Last Saturday, the Mrs. went to our favorite pizza place – Tony’s Cafe in Newark.  When she came home, she told me some horrible news.

A beautiful, vivant, effervenscent life had been snuffed out.  A young lady named Julie, recently graduated from UD, who had worked at the cafe for the last three years had been found murdered in Wilmington on Thursday.  What a tragedy.

I often saw Julie when I went in to pick up our favorite pizzas – so frequently, that she knew which order was mine as soon as I walked in the door.  Such a place is Tony’s – voted the best pizza place in Delaware.

One night, I got there to pick up my pizzas and some guy was there trying to argue that another place was better – I took up the fight, citing the many awards that Tony’s has won, including being voted the best pizza in Naples by the NATO forces.  Now that is an award to be proud of.

Anyway, this discussion went on for several minutes, with my one-upping the other guy every time.  Suddenly, Julie turned around, grabbed an order of Tiramisu and paid me for my defending Tony’s honor.

As the Mrs. told me the other night, I won’t be getting any free Tiramisu from Julie any more.  Truly saddening.

The police have caught the man who murdered Julie – he was stopped driving her car and they found the SIM chip from her blackberry in his cell phone, as well as blood on his jeans that I presume will prove to be Julie’s.  He has been charged with First Degree Murder and here is one person who hopes he never again sees the light of freedom.

As for Tony’s, it will never be the same again.  I know that we will continue to frequent the cafe, as it truly does have the best pizza around, but Julie’s ever present smile will be sorely missed.

Julie was laid to rest today – as her obituary stated, she “went to join her Lord in Heaven”.  God rest your soul, Julie and please, upon my arrival at the Pearly Gates, be sure a large Mystic pizza with mushrooms, black olives, onions, sausage, ham and pepperoni is waiting just out of the pizza oven.

I end today’s blog with the 23rd Psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.

I honestly can not believe the reaction of the Philadelphia Mayor and Commissioner of Police to the vigilante justice that has happened recently here in Philadelphia.  I was always taught that beating someone to within an inch of his life was a crime, but here in Philly, you can be paid for it.

Let me start by relating what precipitated this vigilante justice – an absolutely brutal crime, the hideous rape of an 11 1/2 year old girl.  Please do not take anything I say in this blog as condoning the actions of the degenerate that committed this act.

Based upon evidence that developed, the police identified a suspect and “person of interest”.  This individual, who had a long history of criminal activity.  Within an hour of his name and picture being released, the individual had been captured by a crowd, who beat, kicked, punched and generally committed what would commonly be referred to as assault and battery bad enough to result to put the man into a critical care unit.

As reported in the Philadelphia papers:

About a dozen neighborhood residents flew into a rage yesterday afternoon when they cornered Jose Carrasquillo, who police said they had linked through physical evidence to the heinous Monday-morning rape of Reynolds’ daughter.

The justice-seeking mob rained fists, feet and wooden sticks upon Carrasquillo, 26, for several minutes until police intervened at Front and Clearfield streets.

When the dust cleared, Carrasquillo, whose last known address was Orkney Street near York, was in critical condition at a local hospital, and police officials were thanking the locals for helping them catch a man they had pursued feverishly but identified only as “a person of interest.”

Yet, the Philadelphia Police Commissioner sees no reason to charge these individuals – “I don’t condone violence,” said Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, but then he quickly added that no one would be charged in Carrasquillo’s beating.

Mayor Nutter is no better, stating “I do not generally condone what someone might consider vigilantism out in our streets, but it’s indicative of the anger and the compassion that many of our citizens have.”

I can understand the anger, Mr. Mayor, but compassion – please forgive me if I find beating someone with wooden 2 x 4s as a poor example of compassion.

But the story has another twist – after police put out a description of the rape suspect and the FOP offered a $10,000 reward, another individual was beaten in the same neighborhood and sent to the hospital.  His crime – he resembled the description of the suspect that the police were interested in talking to.  However, he possessed one trait that the suspect did not – he was innocent.

So here we have a Mayor, a Commissioner of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police essentially applauding the actions of the citizenry in committing a violent crime.

No wonder Philadelphia ranks so high in crime stats – the government does not understand what constitutes a crime.  They think it is perfectly alright to beat a man to within an inch of his life.  I guess in Philadelphia, it is guilty unless proven innocent – even if you are innocent.

Absolutely unbelievable.

JustJon

On the surface, today’s date does not appear to be that special.  Why should it be?  It is merely a Saturday (sunny here in NE MD), a day of rest.

The same can not be said for this date 65 years ago.

Good morning.

As I type this post, it is about 10:30AM EDT – 65 years ago at this time, the first day of the battle for the liberation of Europe was well underway.  The first steps towards bringing down the Nazi reign of terror had been taken.

Over 3,000 Americans died in that first day – over 20,000 Americans died before the original campaign (Operation Overlord) was declared over.

Today, almost 9,400 Americans are buried, facing west towards the United States, in the Normandy American Cemetery, located above Omaha Beach.  Included in those individuals interred is Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt II, the son of the 26th President of the United States.

Roosevelt, despite many infirmities (arthritis and heart problems), had argued vehemently to lead his assigned troops onto Utah Beach, arguing that his presence was necessary to insure that a commander with the “big picture” in mind was present to insure the success of the invasion.  Reluctantly, his commanding officer agreed, fearing he would never see TR alive again (this whole episode is portrayed in the movie “The Longest Day” with Henry Fonda playing TR).

Not only did Roosevelt survive the initial invasion, his presence allowed the landed troops to alter their attack when they were landed more than one mile off-site.  He is known for having uttered famously “The war starts right here” after discovering the error.  For his actions, General Roosevelt was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously, having died of a heart attack one month after the Normandy invasion.

In what I believe is a fitting gesture, the remains of Roosevelt’s brother Quentin, who had died in France in “The War to End all Wars” were reinterred next to his in the Normandy cemetery.

Just last week, we commemorated Memorial Day, remembering all those individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Today, we remember those individuals who fought the ultimate battle to free Europe from the tyranny of Nazism and to rid the world of the danger that existed six plus decades ago.

To all who served in World War II, the number of which is shrinking fast, my eternal graditude.  To my father, whose service in WWII included every major invasion held (he drew maps in Florida for the duration), I remember you this day and every day.  God Bless.

A humble JustJon

In today’s NYTimes, there is an article in which Mr. Obama discusses his views on healthcare reform http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/health/policy/04health.html?hp

The part that scares me is:

To help pay for coverage of the uninsured, Mr. Obama called for additional cutbacks in the growth of Medicare and Medicaid, beyond the savings he proposed in February as “a down payment on health care reform.”

In his earlier request, Mr. Obama proposed savings of $316 billion in the two programs over 10 years. On Wednesday he said he wanted to work with Congress to reduce projected spending on Medicare and Medicaid by an additional $200 billion to $300 billion over the next 10 years.

A few facts:

• The Medicare and Medicaid programs do not now currently cover the cost of providing the health care services that these populations demand.  In 2008, the South Carolina Hospital Association reported the unpaid cost of care for Medicare and Medicaid patients at close to $1 billion dollars – and that number only accounted for the 65 South Carolina hospitals that responded to its Community Benefit survey http://www.palmettohealth.org/documents/Community%20Programs/PH%20CB%20inventory%20fy07%20web.pdf
• In a 2007 survey, nearly half the doctors survey had stopped accepting new Medicare and Medicaid patients http://elderplanner.blogspot.com/2007/07/growing-number-of-doctors-refuse-to.html
• Medicare and Medicaid annual provide increases in their reimbursement that is less than the cost increases that hospitals and other providers incur, thereby increasing the unpaid cost of these programs.

Now, a simple question, Mr. Obama – how is a system that is already underfunded going to sustain  a $500 to $600 billion decrease in payments (another way of expressing your term “savings”)?  The simple answer – it can not.

There are multiple problems in the current health care system.  Amongst these problems, and in no particular order, I list the following:

1. Too little attention is paid to preventive care.
2. Insurance companies are too involved in medical decision making – a perfect example is the fact that states have had to pass prudent layperson legislation requiring insurance companies to pay for emergency room services, even though it turns out the condition was not life threatening.
3. Too many people are using the Emergency Department as a primary care physician.
4. Perhaps, most importantly, as a society, we have difficulty accepting the fact that death is a function of life.  Studies have shown that over 60 percent of a Medicare beneficiary’s lifetime costs are incurred in the last six months of life.

There exists but one answer to the problems facing our health care system in implementing reform, but no one wants to utter the word – RATIONING.   In order for this society to be able to afford health care for all citizens (and the illegals in this country, who are a tremendous drain on the system), we have to make some rational decisions regarding what is and is not considered the responsibility of the government mandated health care system.

Economists refer to two types of goods – social goods, those items that society is obligated to insure access to, and economic goods, those items that you need to be able to pay for yourself.  Housing (Section 8 ) and nourishment (food stamps) are two examples of social goods.  Owning an automobile is an example of an economic good.

But look at health care – what in health care is considered an economic good?  Cosmetic surgery is the only example that I can come up with.  Virtually everything else – even erectile dysfunction medications – are considered social goods in government programs.

Should government programs pay for everything?  I say no, simply because it can not afford to pay for everything.  We must engage in a substantive debate as to what constitutes a social good and what consititutes an economic good.

If a former professional athlete requires a total joint replacement, should a government funded health program pay for such treatment?  In my opinion, no – the athlete engaged in a profession that resulted in unnatural stresses on the joint that ultimately led to the need for surgery.

What about trauma care?  Absolutely a social good in most people’s opinion.  Now, add the idea of the foolish motorcycle rider who chooses not to wear a helmet to protect himself when he lays his bike down and cracks his skull on the curbing.  Should society be obligated to cover that individual’s care for the remainder of their life?  I have trouble answering yes to that question, as, again like the professional athlete above, the individual placed him/herself in that position.

These questions are tough questions – but no one wants to even raise the questions.  Our politicians believe that if they throw enough money at the problem, the problem will simply go away.

The truth is that our health care system requires material, fundemental reforms that can not be accomplished by blustering talk.  We must engage in a discussion that identifies those services that should be available to all individuals, regardless of ability to pay and funded by the government in a manner that approximates costs.  Only then can true health care reform even begin to happen.