Another modest proposal

Communicable diseases are rich folks diseases.

Poor folks don't get them until the rich people bring them around.

You disagree?

How many Native Americans in N and S America were wiped out by smallpox? How'd they get smallpox? Rich Europeans financed expeditions to this part of the world, exporting various diseases with 'em. The poor folks on the trips wuda stayed home, except for the rich backers sending them out.

With few exceptions, pretty much every plague that has wiped out significant parts of humanity or spread across the globe was because of rich people.

As a post I saw on FB said, corona virus is a rich person disease. Poor folks can't take cruises and fly all over the world. We go to the flea market.

China is supposed to be ground zero for this new strain of the Corona virus. China is often ground zero for a LOT of the virii that spread across the world. How do these diseases reach beyond China? Rich people from there go to other countries. Rich people from other countries visit China. They both spread the virus at home when they get back.

Poor people can't afford to make long distance trips like that.

You can argue that the military has some role in the spread of these diseases. I'm not gonna argue that, but even the military is fronted by rich people. Rich people don't join the military or get drafted. They get poor folks to do this instead. In other words, rich folks have a proxy to do the grunt work.

AN IDEA

I have a radical idea, one that will never be accepted and most people will call me a blithering idiot for even saying it.

Let's hold the rich folks accountable.

Say a millionaire comes back from China with a virus and then infects the people around him when he gets back. It spreads from there. Thanks to DNA testing, we can source back to the original point of infection. Yes, we can. Look at the work done on the AIDs virus. Look at how other virii are traced backward to a point of origin.

We find that Patient Zero, as medical types refer to that person. Hold that person accountable for the medical bills, lost time from work and etc for everyone who gets sick as a result of the rich person being a disease vector.

Betcha we'll see a whole lot less spread of diseases. Bankrupt a few multimillionaires and they will all take a whole lot more care about where they travel and how they act when they get back.

Social Insecurity

If you are one of those people who like to scream "I PAY MY BILLS!" and your sum total income is from Social Security or disability, you don't pay your bills. Taxpayers do. If you use any part of the Social Security program to pay any of your bills, again, taxpayers are paying your bills for you.

Now before some of you get excited and jump my case about Social Security and Medicare being something you paid for, get this:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickwwatson/2018/07/09/you-havent-earned-your-social-security-its-welfare/

https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/03/27/the-average-american-pays-this-much-in-social-secu.aspx

Still don't agree? Then explain why 24 percent of the federal budget goes to Social Security programs. https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/policy-basics-where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go That's money the federal government is borrowing, BTW.

CRUNCHY

Lets get crunchy with some datat. Running the Motley Fool numbers:

$712 a year paid into Medicare.

Person retires in 45 years.

$32,040 paid into Medicare.

$32,000 average hip replacement cost.https://www.lendingpoint.com/blog/hip-replacement-surgery-what-it-costs-and-how-to-pay-for-it/

One hip replacement wipes out everything you "invested" into the Social Security Medicare program. After that, you are tapping what others put into the system.

If you paid for the benefits you receive, then quit taxing the rest of us. The reality is, those on various Social Security programs have made slaves of the rest of us. How do you explain it if I am wrong?

Gettin' crunchy again.

$2,463 (average) paid into Social Security.

Person retires in 45 years.

$110,835 paid into Social Security (Disability numbers are far worse).
$17,650 average annual benefits paid out.

In 10 years, you tap the system for $176,500.

Again, you are tapping what others put into the system. No? If Social Security taxes stopped right now, the system could stagger along for a couple of years, maybe. Then it would be out of money completely. It must continue to have an influx of funds to stay around. Can you say Ponzi Scheme?

https://www.fool.com/retirement/2016/06/20/what-would-happen-if-social-security-were-dismantl.aspx

https://www.fool.com/retirement/2018/07/17/heres-what-would-happen-if-congress-paid-back-all.aspx

Note - this link contains an error of fact. "In reality, only American citizens who've earned the prerequisite 40 lifetime work credits are able to collect a benefit." You can collect Social Security with fewer credits, especially if you apply for the disability side.

INVESTING

Investing Social Securit proceeds? Yes. https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/policy-basics-understanding-the-social-security-trust-funds However, "Starting in 2020, Social Security will begin to draw down trust fund reserves to help pay for benefits." There's a reason politicians with sense are proposing hikes to Social Security taxes or cuts to benefits.

Further, that investment is considered extremely secure, but it doesn't have great returns.

This webpage does the math. 

http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/datafile/histretSP.html

In short, everything you paid into the Social Security system and all the proceeds from the investments are STILL wiped out in short order. One hip replacement, your Medicare contribution is gone. Medicines, doctor visits and more quickly wipe out the returns on investment.

And on the topic of investing, where does the Social Security Administration invest that money? Into Treasury Securities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/policy-basics-understanding-the-social-security-trust-funds Yes, SS earns interest on these investments.

Who pays the interest? Taxpayers. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/treasurybond.asp "Treasury bonds are part of the larger category of government bonds, a type of bond issued by a national government with a commitment to pay period interest payments known as coupon payments as well as the principal upon maturity." Someone will now say "GOVERNMENT PAYS THAT INTEREST!" And where, precisely, oh Sage of Our Times, do you think government gets the money to pay the interest?

Taxpayers.

DISABILITY

The next time I hear someone under the age of 60 who collects disability and says "It's my money because I paid into the system," I will have to walk away. My study of the Stoics is pushing me away from angry reactions; angry is all my fault and no one can make me mad but me.

However, coping with monumental stupidity is something I am still learning. Those on disability probably - I have not researched this, just running on what I see - are an even greater drain on the Medicare part of Social Security.

In short, you ain't paid enough to cover what you are taking. You are pulling from taxpayers like me who are supporting the system. You may be paying all your bills, but you are using my money to do it.

Don't believe me? Cool. You crunch the numbers and prove me wrong.

Slavery by any other name

In the argument about universal health care, a major argument against it is health care is not a right.

In brief: You (an individual) do not have the right to force anyone to provide you a service.

Slavery is not just suggested by people making this argument, it is flat-out shouted from the mountains by a lot of people who don't really know what they are talking about.

More the point, I am saying the folks making the "slave" argument either:

1) Ain't paying attention.

2) Are paying attention but ain't willing to drop that wrecking ball on collective toes.

So as me bud Gianna occasionally says, "here's your Clue X 4." As I often add, "Upside yo haid."

F.A.P.E.

Got that? Some of you do. Some don't. I 'splain.

Free And Public Education.

Smurfy. In the US, chilluns are guaranteed the right to a Free & Public Education through a certain age. Not only that, it has to be an appropriate education. It can be tailored to the individual student and that can be mind-boggling expensive. That part is called IEP - Individual Education Plan.

As the parent of a special needs kid, now an adult, I know the IEP process. In short, the IEP is the 10 Commandments carved by the finger of God. Violate the IEP, people lose teaching credentials, possible jail time, fines, etc etc. https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/what-is-special-education/legal-rights-to-services/ Hindsight being what it is, I shuda had one education professional up on charges and had that person's teaching credentials revoked some years ago.

Anyway, while the FAPE only lasts so long, you get to pay for it the rest of your life. At least in every state I know of, you pay for it forever. Public schools run on your taxes.

Slavery

The argument that universal health care makes people slaves, slams headlong into public school teaching. The naysayers state no one has the right to the production of another, Yet, we have public schools which anyone may attend. Past that, every state I check has some sort of free adult public education to teach adults enough to pass the GED test.

I have yet to hear anyone say a teacher is a slave. I have never met a teacher forced to become one in a public school. I have met some who say becoming a teacher was not the best choice they could have made. I've also met former teachers who left the education profession. None was forced to stay.

Taxes pay teachers. Taxes will pay those in the healthcare profession with universal health care. Can someone show me a real difference between the two?

Didn't think so.

Now there is slavery. You and I have no choice about paying taxes. We either pay or run the risk of going to jail.

I don't know anyone forced to work in the healthcare field or face jail as alternative.

At the same time, we do have other education options. Private school and home schooling are very much in use. The folks using private school and doing home school still have to pay for the public school.

Yup.

This split system will be a part of universal healthcare, if it passes. Some people will get private insurance and go to doctors who will not participate in slave-dollar-funded healthcare programs.

Sure, some healthcare operations will be forced to take the public dole. Public schools are forced to take the public dole too. Show me a real difference. You can't.

Both come down to a service provided by an individual and that individual is paid with tax dollars.

Other countries? Glad you axed. Now I whack you.

http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/page6.html - Canada went totalitarian on this one, as you can read in the link. Still, private health care options exist.

https://comparemedicalplans.net/health-insurance/ - Private health care and insurance in the UK.

I ain't interested in chasing this coon up no more trees so you can do your own research on private medical care in universal care countries.

OTHER FREE STUFF

As I think on this, I can come up with plenty of examples that are almost identical to the "free" healthcare idea. Just a few:

Roads - Use 'em or not, you still pay for 'em.
Law enforcement - Their salaries are paid by tax dollars.
The penal system - We foot the bill for people on paid vacations in the Iron Bar hotel.
SSI, Disability and Social Security, including Medicare and Medicaid - Your tax dollars at work.

I can do lots more.

Reality is, you may vigorously complain about universal health care. I'm right there widja. But to say it is slavery and no one has a right to the work or services of another person, well that just doesn't square with our current system.

Unless you are after a total revamp of the entire governmental structure (I sure am!), then I question why you use the slavery argument against universal health care.