From: davidc@montagar.com (David L. Cathey)
Newsgroups: tx.politics
Subject: Re: YOU OWE ME FREE HEALTHCARE!
Date: 19 Nov 92 22:38:03 GMT
Distribution: tx
Organization: Montagar Software Concepts, Plano TX

In article <1992Nov18.142153.17000@mksol.dseg.ti.com>, mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539) writes:
> In <1992Nov16.125039.16927@montagar.com> davidc@montagar.com (David L. Cathey) writes:
> 
>>In article <1992Nov15.223808.28181@mksol.dseg.ti.com>, mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539) writes:
>>> In <1992Nov13.142251.16920@montagar.com> davidc@montagar.com (David L. Cathey) writes:
>>>>	But the quote I heard was "Health care is a right, not a privilege".
>>>>So just what does he mean?
>>> 
>>> It means that we shouldn't just let people die on the streets because
>>> they can't afford health care.  Is this a problem?
> 
>>	People dying on the streets because they can't afford health care?
>>Is this a problem?
> 
> It sure would be if taxpayers weren't picking up the tab for emergency
> medical care (public hospitals HAVE to take emergencies, and if the
> patient can't pay you can guess who does -- you can be sure that the
> hospital isn't going to eat all of that cost, so they are going to pad
> out everyone else's bills or charge the State directly (depending on
> where you are)).

	So, people dying on the streets isn't a problem.  Then why is
that something we feel we need to "fix"?

>>Remember how much of our taxes pays for Medicare and such, and Clinton
>>is going to add to that.  Clinton is going to "streamline" government? Isn't
>>that kindof an oxymoron?
> 
> Yes, and Medicare and such costs us a lot more than it needs to and is
> growing a lot faster than it needs to because of the way the health
> care INDUSTRY works in this country.

	And what follows is *why* it works this way (and you seem to agree):

>>	How about some of the plans by Bush, like tax refunds for health
>>insurance?  As I'm self-employed, I sure would appreciate that.  How about
>>getting rid of this "deep-pockets" trend in American Ligitation?  Does this
>>benefit the economy?  Or is it a different kind of lottery system?
> 
> I'm all in favor of fixing the litigation problem.  We spend some $34
> billion on DEFENSIVE MEDICINE -- procedures that are unnecessary, but
> only performed because of fear of litigation.  We also need to do
> something else, though, in my opinion, to convince people and the
> courts to back off on these punitive settlements.  We need to take the
> examination of doctors' errors out of the hands of the medical lobby.
> How much malpractice is covered up by other doctors every year?  I
> can't put a number to it, but I think that just about everyone but the
> AMA is willing to concede that it happens A LOT.

	Okay, we seem to have pointed the problem to excessive litigation
and defensive medicine.  So in order to fix that we start subsidizing
health care...... wait a minute?  Isn't that a symptom, not the problem?
Let's fix the *problem*, and rest will improve, if not get fixed.  

>>	I've been reading much of what you have said about Clinton, and I'm
>>rather suprised at you.  When it comes to polititians, I tend to be a cynic,
>>whereas you seem to more than willing to take Clinton at his word.  He has
>>been vague at politically correct times, and at times even sounded
>>contradictory during the debates.  He is a politician, he should be closely
>>watched.
> 
> Yes, he should be, but accusing him of being terrible because of
> things you THINK he MIGHT do seems to me to be stretching just a bit.

	Not when it is contradictory.  He straddles the fence too much for
me to know what he *really* will do.  I may not have liked everything Bush
and Reagan did, but there were few contradictions.

	Clinton has said that he will *never* raise middle class taxes.  He
has also said that he will raise middle class taxes.  I'm confused.  Since I
am cynical toward politicians, I have to assume he will raise my taxes.

	Again, I would have to ask, that since all politicians agree that 
there is waste in Washinton, why is raising taxes always the suggested
"solution"?  Has it ever, even once, actually worked?  No, it hasn't.
That's why I disagree with Perot and Clinton, as both proposed tax increases.

> Fred.McCall@dseg.ti.com - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.
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David L. Cathey		                |INET: davidc@montagar.com
Montagar Software Concepts              |UUCP: ...!montagar!davidc
P. O. Box 260772, Plano TX  75026-0772  |Fone: (214)-618-2117