Safety net versus the tightrope

I am hearing a lot of arguments against socialized medicine recently. All these arguments are good, and all of them will not sway anybody, because the people who want the health care from the Government simply cannot fathom a "no" answer to any question. At best, it's "Not yet" or "Not until we do something". The idea that Government is simply incapable of providing the current level of medical services to everybody will simply not enter the brains of such people.

So it is with no hope at all that I advance another argument. I guess I just like see my thoughts typed up, that's all.

Here is a leading question: once you provided the safety net, do you still need a tightrope? Or the acrobat can just walk about on the net?

Our current arrangements are the tightrope. It lets you do really amazing things, but once you fall off, you're in big trouble. However, as imperfect as our safety net is, it does exist.

If you don't have enough money to pay for the treatment, you simply need more money. You can borrow, beg from private charity, beg the doctor to lower the price, or even apply for government program. It's only money, after all. No one ever said the sacrificing you health or life for money is a moral thing to do. You, the sick man, have the moral advantage. The blood-sucking insurance is rightfully despised by everyone.

Now consider the case of socialized medicine. Your health is no longer in danger due to someone's greed. You're denied treatment for the Greater Good. To ask Powers That Be to change their decision would be almost amoral. Who are you to argue with the public-spirited formulas devised with the collective welfare in mind?

And now you find that a hole in safety net is much worse when there is no tightrope. The charity of the last resort, our Government, became the first line of defense. And behind that line - nothing. All doctors work for government, so there is no begging them. And private charity, while happy to help the victims of greed, will not help those rightfully condemned by the great moral authority of Government, mere drags on our precious collective resources.

So there it goes: by turning the last-resort measures into everyday routine, we've stripped any redundancy from the system. We're at the mercy of any flaw or fraud that happens to show up.

California - tax as you pay

So California is now payibg with IOUs.

Nice.

And IOUs can be cashed now at 25% discount by some banks. So if you need money, California government essentially taxed you 25% on the spot. Isn't nice?

Logitech Squeezebox Duet? iPod!

I've been looking for a way to get my computer music stores to my stereo for a long, long time. Many a longing sight I cast'd towards Squeezebox Duet. And then finally the time was there - I got rid of the old Sony 50-CD changer (what a dead-end piece of mistake!) and it was time to commit to a decision.

And then it hit me: iPod and a dock!

I now see why Duet and its brethren have such hard time getting sold. I've got an iPod Classic on eBay and a dock at Costco. All told, it was about the price of high-end stereo (the dock is not high-end, although it comes with a subwoofer). And now all my music is available on the computer, in the bedroom, eventually in the family room when I'll get a small portable dock, and on the road!

I never though of it this way, but iPod is a real alternative to streaming stereo...