Replacing the insurance company middleman with the government middleman is not removing the middleman. It is removing free enterprise in favor of giving more power to government.

Here in a nutshell is the complete essence of socialism disguised as freedom. It was contained within an April 16 guest opinion by a candidate for public office.

"The truth is that single-payer Medicare for All is real freedom it eliminates the insurance middlemen, allowing you to see any doctors you want and the government to make direct payments to them."

But replacing the insurance company middleman with the government middleman is not removing the middleman. It is removing free enterprise in favor of giving more power to government for which the primary attribute is force. Government can simply force people to do what it commands which is why the colonies went into revolt in 1776. Free medical care is simply one of the latest strategies of Americas leftists. They would be wise to remember: "Theres No Such Thing As A Free Lunch".

George Washington said: "Government Is Not Reason, It Is Not Eloquence It Is Force." Government collects money through taxation which is collection backed by force. Force is the opposite of freedom.

Socialized medicine does not provide medical care by government. Government does not produce doctors. It seeks to establish control over them and their work. Canadians who have socialized medicine simply travel to America and pay when they want better medical care.

Medical care is a product. Most products have different levels. You can buy a small inexpensive car or a luxurious expensive model. Those are minimums and maximums. Its the same for medical care. Doctors are not foolish. They will not provide expensive care unless they get paid to do it. Medicare on the other hand is government-paid and government-rationed medical care and it has limits. If you are not happy with getting limited care you are free to pay for better care or pay for insurance. These are your three choices. Either rely on your neighbors to provide you with medical care, called Medicare; pay for insurance to provide it or pay for it yourself.

Medical care is a product and there are no free products. Someone pays for everything or it doesnt get done. Medical professionals know that in the case of "free" medical care some professionals use "Sit Care". Sit there until we decide to treat you or get disgusted and leave.

Ayn Rand asked in her essay "What is capitalism?": "Is man a sovereign individual who owns his own person, his mind, his life, his work and its product or is he the property of the tribe, the state, the society, the collective that may dispose of him in any way it pleases, that may dictate his convictions, prescribe the course of his life, control his work and expropriate his products?" Socialists believe each person must always act for the benefit of society.

The guest opinion writer/candidate has considered the "welfare" of patients with no thought or comment about the doctors who must provide the actual medical care. That a doctor should have any right, desire or choice in the matter was not brought up. We should consider the attitude of pompous smugness of the people who assert their right to enslave doctors; to control their work and to force them to work only for the government. Perhaps we should let them discover the kind of doctors that their system would produce. Let them discover in their non-free operating rooms and hospital wards that its dangerous to place their lives in the hands of a doctor whose pay scale they have controlled. Its not safe if the doctor is the sort of person who resents it and even less safe if they are the sort who doesnt.

Bill O'Neill lives in Holland.

Continued here:

Guest Opinion: Socialism is about government control - Opinion - The Intelligencer