I recall the lyrics of a Beach Boys song that goes, “We’ll have fun, fun, fun, ‘til her Daddy takes her T-Bird away.” I think this is analogous to the national health care plan that is flip-flopping around these days.

If the government gets the entire country in the clutches of this federal program, they will then ratchet down with more taxes and restrictions by threatening to take away your medical plan.

People today, who are receiving entitlements from government means, will tell you that they have to jump through hoops and sell their souls to maintain their payments. They are in constant fear of “Daddy” taking their T-Bird away.

The end result of government programs is always strife. By this, I mean that they will start out promising the stars and moon at little cost or expense. Shortly thereafter, they will require multiple copies of documentation encompassing hours of time to complete in order to obtain a postage stamp reimbursement.

Some health care providers will say, “It just ain’t worth it.” If this plan goes through, some may add, “Go to Canada or Mexico.” (Will the Natchez Transit System offer regular service to Juarez?)

Liberals will say, “I don’t want a single person to die simply because they are too poor to afford medical care.” This is totally unrealistic.

Would they also say, “I don’t want a single person to die in a car crash because they are poor?” If a man is too poor to buy sound tires that would prevent him from dying in a car crash, should I have been required to buy his tires before the wreck happened?

At what point does my responsibility to him begin and end?

Government cannot efficiently manage large programs like health care, education, retirement benefits, etc. As an example, look at our government school system. It was supposed to become an integrated system that would offer equal education opportunities for all. Realistically, by having parents who move into more desirable school zones and by having public and private school systems, it is more segregated today than ever before. There is also a great disparity in achievement scores within the system. What a mess! Can you imagine what they can do to a government health care system?

If this health care plan is approved, we will all become guinea pigs for the fledgling health care workers to practice upon. Before going under their knife, I would advise everyone to memorize this limerick:

There was a young man with a hernia,

Who said to the doctor, “Goll durn ya,”

“When cutting my middle,”

“Be sure you don’t fiddle,”

“With things that do not concern ya.”

Ed Field

Natchez resident