The Evil Public Option

(from the funpie weblog)

In the town where I grew up, there were a couple of mom and pop bookstores, one called Borders, and one called Barnes & Noble. These small businesses, the backbone of our economy, provided a wide array of reading material, music and games, along with coffee and scones. Each also provided a type of membership card. The one from Borders was free, and entitled holders to additional discounts on books and free desserts on their birthdays. The one from Barnes & Noble cost $25 and entitled holder to save at least $25 over the course of purchasing something like another $1000 worth of books. Both were a great deal, and these little mom and pop stores provided each other with a healthy competition in the spirit of the American Dream.

Then one day, a “public option” was forced upon my little town. This government-run public option – some called it a “library,” I called it a nazi-loving beauracratic nightmare – had the audacity to swoop down and start offering books to people for FREE! How in the hell could our little mom and pops ever hope to compete with that?!? This evil library also gave out membership cards, and anyone who had one could take home a whole STACK of books for up to a MONTH at a time!!! Sure, sometimes people had to wait a little bit for access to bestsellers, and since books had to be returned you couldn’t give them as gifts or keep them on your shelves to show people how well-read you were, but still. No one on the planet could possibly compete with this kind of undermining of the free market.

Soon after this public option library came to town, Borders and Barnes & Noble were forced to close up their small businesses, costing hard-working Americans their jobs, and bringing us one step closer to Stalinist Russia. That is why I will never again support a public option of any kind for anything. I love America too much. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the post-office, which means I have to drive all the way past the fire house, the public elementary school and the police station, so I’d better get going.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post Easter Musings I’ve been thinking about this whole legalistic point of view the right has been taking on immigration. And the thing that keeps getting stuck is how they (the hate radio guys) keep saying repeatedly that they want to get the guys that “cut in line” that “jumped in front of everyone else who is going through the process”. Now, believe me, I hate cutters. I have always hated cutters. There’s an entitlement issue there that really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I have no problem, none whatsoever, in letting people who cut know that it is not acceptable. But let’s switch tracks here. Cody fell down the stairs at school. He was in a lot of pain and after calling his pediatrician, I was instructed to go to the emergency room. We went in. I spoke to reception. I filled out paperwork. I elevated his foot. Got him something to drink. Went into the triage nurse, got vitals, went back into the waiting room. Filled out more paper work. And sat. And sat. X came with loud
Read more
All Aboard…. Is Rosie O’Donnell’s documentary on HBO about a cruise ship she chartered for 2000 gay and lesbian family members and it aired last night. I only saw it today as we had recorded it. I have to say that I was tearful through at least 80% of the film. I don’t know if it is something innately a part of who I am, how I’m wired or just simply what I believe through life experiences that are the driving force behind my feelings on this subject. Over and over as I saw loving parents care for their kids, overcome incredibly obstacles to fulfill their desire to nurture and raise children, it just revolved in my head – love is love is love. Isn’t there enough hate running rampant in this world? I mean, given the opportunity to allow love to flourish don’t you think as humans that is our goal? To allow love to dominate? I know that’s what Christianity is all about. I know that when presented to Jesus, he said that love was the most important thing. This cruise wasn’t a gay pride,
Read more
This is from the site : www.gopauctionhouse.org Pretty revealing stuff..... How The GOP Auction House Hurts You Health Care Under Republican rule, millions more Americans have gone without health insurance, even as health care costs continue to skyrocket. The Republican Medicare bill, which barred Medicare from bargaining for lower prices, kept re-importation from Canada illegal, and punishes seniors with an enrollment cost hike for every year they do not sign up, also provides for an estimated $139 billion in windfall profits for the big drug companies. And despite minimal savings for seniors, it puts the federal budget in the red as far as the eye can see. The Medicare bill is the perfect demonstration of how the Republican Culture of Corruption comes at a cost to the American people every day. $139 Billion in Windfall Profits for the Pharmaceutical Industry Blocks Medicare from Collective Bargaining for Lower Prices Prevents Re-importation from Canada "The Medicare drug benefi
Read more