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The Deception of "Free"
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By jani
525 views
February 24 at 12:20 pm
I am a teacher and the other day I saw a woman being interviewed on the news about the huge budget problems being faced by our public school districts. She said, "Everyone has a right to a FREE, quality education."
It struck me that the whole idea of "free" is a problem in education and in healthcare. Our public education system isn't free. We, the tax-payers, pay for that system.
I think there are far too many everyday citizens who have the same incorrect perceptions about the national healthcare debate. They seem to think that a "government option" means a "free" option. But the truth is the only money the government has is money they received from us.
We have to change the thinking in America. We have to stop looking at the government as some bottomless bucket of money. The government can be a great tool for pooling resources and providing services we all need. Our roads and highways are a great example of how pooling our money (in the form of taxes) is the best, most efficient use of our resources.
For those who incorrectly view a government healthcare plan as a "free" plan, a government option obviously seems to be the way to go. But would they support that option if they viewed it in the true light, that it's a pooling of all our money and not a "free" plan?
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kdroberts April 6 at 2:00 pm0 LikesIt makes me laugh when I hear people say things like "I don't want to be paying so my neighbor can go to the doctor" when they are paying into a group plan at work which works in exactly the same way as a national plan would.
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My opinion February 24 at 6:33 pm0 Likes
That is very true it will not be free. We as hard working Americans will have to pay it. However as a teacher you should be more on it's side then anyone. I pay my taxes and I like that my children have a free education to a certain point. Along the same lines, I would love if my taxes would pay for my healthcare. I can promise you that I wont be paying more then I do now and if the healthcare industry were a little less greedy then we would never had been forced into a public option. The public option is not going to force people into useing there plan, it will simply make it a fair playing field. When you have a manopoly there is no one to compete for pricing and so no one can protect the consumer and it's can very well be the same for an onogopaly which is when there are only a few who dominate the market. It seems that they are all happy with there large gains and have not though about how it will effect not only the customers but our economy as a whole. Greed is a very bad thing and to tell you the truth if I never even use it I will take a little more compfort knowing that atleast my taxes went to a good thing. I wish more people had something to say when they were taking our taxes and using them for there private parties and pay raises. It's amazing how good people will fight against something that benifits everyone. Who ever did there marketing did a great job.
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jani February 25 at 11:48 am0 LikesI see your point. And perhaps I came across as being against the government option—that was certainly not my intention.
We do need healthcare reform. The current system is not efficient or effective.
My point is simply about the mentality of some Americans. I want people to make the choice about whether or not a government option is the right option with a full understanding. I want us as citizens to "own" these programs because indeed it's our money that's paying for them.
One question I have for you is this. You say you would love it if your taxes would pay for your healthcare. But are you OK if your taxes have to double from their current rate to cover healthcare? Or triple? (I'm not trying to badger you, just trying to understand your full position.)
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