July 22, 2004

BUSH PROMISES TO SOCIALIZE MEDICINE in his second term. I kid you not. In a speech outlining his agenda for a second term , the President said "[the] government can and should help citizens gain the tools to make their own choices and to improve their own lives .. when men and women have a sound education and the skills to seek new opportunities, and the security of health care, they will achieve great things for themselves and for our nation." Quoted by the NY Times -- "Bush Sketches His Agenda for U.S. in a Second Term".

The promise to give people "the security of health care" can be nothing other than the promise to give us socialized medicine.

Here's a suggestion. If the President wants to provide my family with "the tools to make [our] own choices and to improve [our] own lives" he can send me a government check -- make it 10 thousand dollars -- for a full set of construction tools from Sears -- and a couple hundred thousand more for really serious tools like a new pickup truck, a cement mixer, a dump truck, a scoop shovel and a storage shed. This would allow me to "make my own choices and improve my own life." But these are just starters -- I'd also like books and electonic teaching gear for the kids, sports equipment, cooking tooks, etc. etc. On second thought, Mr. President, I'll just send you the bill.

Any doubt that the man who ran against Gerald Ford in 1976 would be running against this President and his big government / big spending agenda?

(For political theory geeks only -- notice how close Bush's position comes to the account of human freedom known as positive liberty? This is a "new liberal" or Marxist position -- and it is not a conservative or classical liberal position. Draw your own conclusions.) Posted by Greg Ransom | TrackBack