A VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
By Rich Trzupek
Dad Would Not Have Approved
Dad had a lot of stories, having lived a life that was long and full. This was one of my favorites.
It was the '30s. Dad was a young steel worker, living on the south side of Chicago. He was attending a union meeting where, much to his surprise, the union had invited a Socialist activist to speak. The nation was in the midst of the Great Depression and many people thought that socialism was just the cure for what was ailing us.
At the conclusion of his speech, the activist walked through the union hall, hat in hand (literally, so Dad said), asking for contributions. Eventually he came to young, wirey, strong-as-a-bull Walter Trzupek, leaning against the back wall.
Dad motioned for the fellow to wait and proceeded to search through his pockets. It took a while as he dug into his trousers, his shirt and his jacket. Nothing.
"I know I got it here somewhere," Dad said apologetically. The socialist smiled. Times were tough. Every bit of help was worth the wait. Finally, Dad hit paydirt.
"Here it is!" Dad said triumphantly.
And then he proceeded to pull out a handkerchief and, quite theatrically, blew his nose as hard as he could. (And Dad's nose-blows could double for a foghorn when he chose.)
That was Dad all over. When he was determined to be a jerk, he could be a colossal jerk. Pity that he didn't pass that talent along to any of his kids.
This story comes to mind as I contemplate how Dad would have reacted to Illinois' determination to offer, and fund, universal healthcare. A handkerchief made out of Kevlar wouldn't be strong enough to contain his nose-blow of disgust.
Like most of his generation, Dad was immensely proud of living through the Great Depression. The oldest of five kids, he quit school after the ninth grade, during the Depression's darkest days, in order to support the family after his father died.
His was a familiar story, one that explained why so many Americans were so revolted by any hint of socialism in the '50s. They had battled through the Depression and they had fought a World War. By the time the '50s rolled around, the nation was growing prosperous once again and they wanted to enjoy the fruits of all of their victories.
They had made it, with little help from anyone. Having tasted the joys of accomplishment-on their own-they were determined not to sacrifice one bit of independence, especially by handing any portion of their lives over to the �damn guvment�.
We've walked so far down the road to socialism since then that I'm certain Dad is whirring around in his grave fast enough to generate several megawatts of electricity. Or maybe not. He did see it coming.
There's nothing wrong with our healthcare system that government can't make infinitely worse, and the legislature seems determined to break the bank to do so.
It's remarkable, in a way. The state can't pay for its Medicaid program as it is. But, rather than fixing that problem, we're searching for more bills to pay.
We've been down this road before. Remember Hillary's task force? We should have learned something from that experience, but evidently we did not.
Look, nobody is saying that the current healthcare system is perfect. Yet, somehow, we enjoy the longest life expectancies in history. We've got to be doing something right.
Is health care expensive? Of course it is. All of those gadgets and fancy drugs cost money. Will government-run healthcare make it less expensive? Please! When has government ever done anything more efficiently than the private sector? Universal healthcare will be god-awful expensive, but-for some stupid reason-people don't seem to care as much when the cost is buried in taxes and fees.
Would universal healthcare be better? Check out the places that have government-run systems. Check out Great Britain. Do you hate going to the DMV? Imagine dealing with that level of bureaucratic, impersonal nonsense every time you need to see the doctor.
There is, to be sure, a lot that can be fixed with the private system. Like making better use of expensive diagnostic equipment, for example. Or discouraging hospitals from expanding over and over again, just so they can pad rates. None of the ills will be solved by handing the keys over to bureaucrats.
Universal healthcare is a stupid, counterproductive waste of money. It's too bad they can't see that in Springfield. It ain't that hard to figure out.
If only we could find somebody who stilled carries a handkerchief, and knows how to use it.
