The Nome nugget. [volume] (Nome, Alaska) 1938-????, 1949-06-27
LET'S STAY HEALTHY
(By George Peck

Administrations proposed plant of Compulsory Health
Insurance. which choose to call by it's proper name,
"Socalized Medicine Noone can have any doubt that
am bitterly opposed to the plan; that in this pro-
posal deliberate attempt to regiment American citi
Zenry.
Every nation that has embarked on such scheme of
providing so-caled Free Medicine to its subject (that
is Just what citizens become under it) has
later discovered that costs great deal more than es-
timaed that national health has deerOrated not i'm
proved and that the progress of medical science and
research have virtually been halted in their tracks
Undoubtedly the worst featured of SOcalized Medi-
cine is that it discourages the right kind of young
and women from undertaking the long and arduouS
training necessary equip themselves practice med
icne and surgery The result is that inevitably
der Sociazed Medicine, the blight of mediocrity and
even downright incompetence come to permeate the
ranks of government physicians.
It took young chap who the elevator in the
apartment house where live, to further impress me
with the utter futilty of Socialized Medicine. This
young fellow is working his way through one of our
medical Schools and his elevator job is toward
that end The other evening he taking to my
floor he surprised me by asking What do you think
of this Compulsory Health insurance."
Instead of answering his question, | turned it right
back at him by asking him what he thought of it.
''We'' he said AL hope is that it is so badly de-
feated in Congress that will be foolish enough
to suggest such thing again.
'Why?" | shot at him.
do you think would have entertained the idea
of studying to be doctor had thought l would be
free to practice my profession according to my own
ideas and to go far in it my ability and application
would carry me-" he replied
And then he continued do you think would have
taken the job of running this elevator eight hours a
day, spending many hours in class and in study
each day for the past several years. just to get Civil
Service job? From the time | was very young boy |
have had the ambition to be doctor, and to be good
one, that well my fellow men. Sure, l
want to make decent living after get my degree and
my internshp, but have hope of ever accum-
ulatng any great amount of material wealth"
BY this time we had long since reached by floor and
other tenant impatienty pushing the buzzer
My young friend had to 60 about his business but
this elevator boy and physician in the making had said
enough to further convince me that must not have
Sociaized Medicine of Compulsory Health Insurance,
call it what you like in this free America of Moth
ing must be DONE legislatively otherwise, that will
deter young men, exempfed by this elevator boy,
from being willing to undergo the travail of the long
grind of preparing themselves to enter the high calling
of the medical profession.
Let your United States Senators and Congressman
know that it is your WISH in fact, your demand that
they vote mo- on Compulsory Health Insurance as
to insure continuation of competent reinforcements to-
and requirements in medical ranks. Today the U. S.
A +Lo ofc