It’s the weekend and so I have less readers. That means I like to post a wide variety of things on the weekend. The following came to my email and I laughed so hard I couldn’t help but post it. Enjoy!

So you’re a senior citizen and the government says no health care for
you, what do you do?

Our plan gives anyone 65 years or older a gun and 4 bullets. You are
allowed to shoot 2 senators and 2 representatives. Of Course, this
means you will be sent to prison where you will get 3 meals a day, a
roof over your head, and all the health care you need! New teeth, no
problem. Need glasses, no problem. New hips, knees, kidney, lungs,
heart? All covered.

And who will be paying for all of this? The same government that just
told you that you are too old for health care. Plus, because you are
a prisoner, you don’t have to pay income tax anymore.
IS THIS A GREAT COUNTRY OR WHAT?!

I got the following email that I just couldn’t resist posting. I’m not sure who deserves credit for this, but I think that many will enjoy the perspective.

The American Medical Association has weighed in on the new Obama health care proposals.

The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves. The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve..

The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception. Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted. Pathologists yelled; “Over my dead body!” while the Pediatricians said, “Oh, Grow up!”

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it. Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing. The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, “This puts a whole new face on the matter….”

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea. The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn’t have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Washington.

There are a couple things going on in this country which are troubling. Two of them have to do with healthcare and the third has to do with our overall economy which is closely linked to healthcare.

Government is getting too involved with healthcare. First, they are rushing to mandate information technology (IT) which is not “ready for prime time”. Second, they are going to set up a government option for healthcare which will be subsidized by our tax dollars. This option will drive other insurance companies out of business (you can’t compete with a significantly subsidized competitor). There will then be a one payer system so we will no longer have choice. This system will be designed and run by government beurocrates (which I am not excited about) who we will be supporting through our tax dollars (higher taxes on everyone). Healthcare will be more expensive and less effective (See Medical Economics July 10, 2009, Critical Mass) AND this system will have a negative effect on small business and big business and our economy. Finally doctors will be affected in all sorts of ways (see Medical Economics July 10, 2009, Top-down, bottom-up, and medicine in the middle).

As we watch Obama and his advisors change our basic healthcare system and our basic economic system (from a small business model to a big government model), everyone should take some time to read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The book is very long, so read the Cliff Notes!

What are your thoughts on all the changes going on right now, from the changes in our healthcare system to the mandates for electronic medical records. Who is going to pay for all this? Who is going to implement all of this? Is it going to work? Are we doing a big experiment (with our whole healthcare system and our whole economy) without doing smaller experiments to see what will happen?