health care

Too Big Not To Fail [2]: the limits of Big-Gov

/ Paul Burkhart / 1 Comment

A couple of days ago, I started this little “mini-series” on some of the more structural problems that seem to be messing the country up. I used the Obama Health Care law as an example of the limits of “Big-Corp”, and today I turn to the other behemoth in the room, Big Government.

The Shortfalls of Big-Government

Is the answer, then, in light of the breakdown of free market forces at the huge “macro” level, to bring in more Government?  I don’t really know, but I don’t think so.

Big-Gov, it seems, suffers from the same shortfalls as Big-Corp.  Our government, in a way, is structured to work on the same principles that are supposed to make Capitalism work well, and, in the end, suffers the same disadvantages as it increases in size.
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Too Big Not To Fail [1]: the limits of Big-Corp

/ Paul Burkhart / 2 Comments

[A little while ago, I wrote a little essay I never put out there on the virtues and troubles of sheer “size” when it comes to the entities that seem to govern most of our lives. I’ve decided to split it up into a couple of posts to get everyone else’s thoughts. Our nation was meant to be a nation of discourse and was built on the idea that with friction between ideas, something beautiful might happen. Let the friction begin…]

The Shortfalls of Big-Corporate

To begin, let’s use Obama’s health care law as a little case-study. A while ago, I was sent an 8-part series by Ann Coulter entitled “Liberal Lies About Health Care”.  The first article opened with these lines:

“[Liberal Lie #](1) National health care will punish the insurance companies.  You want to punish insurance companies? Make them compete.  As Adam Smith observed, whenever two businessmen meet, “the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” That’s why we need a third, fourth and 45th competing insurance company that will undercut them by offering better service at a lower price.”

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Health Care Summit Pre-Gaming

/ Paul Burkhart / 4 Comments

First and foremost, I need to admit that I think I was entirely wrong in the article I wrote last month on the Health Care bill. I feel like the comment left on that post by editor of Patrol Magazine, and friend, David Sessions was right on. I’m now super excited and pumped to see this stuff pass, hopefully soon. I’m mainly writing this post, though, to encourage everyone to tune in to the Health Care Summit going on tomorrow from 10am to 4pm (HuffPost). I believe most every news agency and network should be airing it both on TV and online. Also, I’m sure there will be several major New Media websites live-blogging the event or giving constant updates.

I really do think this summit could be so much bigger than just health care. It could begin a trajectory that determines both the results of the next fours years of elections and the very state of politics in America. It could transform political discourse. It could break the absurdity of the immature political feces-throwing that has defined how Washington has run. It could usher in a new era of bipartisanship for the sake of the American people.

Probably not, but in theory it could.

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I sort of want this health care bill to die.

/ Paul Burkhart / 11 Comments

[graphic design by kilroyart]

UPDATE: more thoughts on Health Care and the Health Care Summit that occurred in February 2010 can be found here.

[You can read more of my recent thoughts on health care over at Reform & Revive Magazine in an article entitled “Explaining Health Care Reform and ‘Christian’ Reflections Thereof“]

I think I really want to see this whole health care thing goes down in flames.

This came as a shock to me today as I greedily consumed as much news as I could concerning the Massachusetts Senate race. Something in me sort of stirred joyfully at the thought of all of this collapsing. This really surprised me at first, but upon further reflection I began to see why I felt this way.

First off, the emotional argument. I have been having frustrations and angst over our lack of control as Americans. I wrote about some of this back in July. At the time, I was focusing more on Capitalism and corporate greed, but the same definitely goes for the government. Politicians are supposed to work for us. We are not called to serve their whims which they decide on our behalves. They are supposed to be our employees and civil servants, not our elected managers. As of yesterday, the latest Rasmussen Report finds that only 38% of Americans are in favor of the health care bill, and 56% oppose it outright. In my mind, I’m forced to ask — why are we still having this discussion then? Democrats made their pitch, the people don’t like it as it is. Either change it or drop it.

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