Social healthcare inoperable

The Real Conservative By Jason Wadlington

I have a real shocker for you today—Canadians who can afford it, oftentimes come to America to receive medical services. But how could this be?

Canada has "Universal Health Care" that is much more advanced than the archaic United States health care system. Well, to be honest, that just isn't true.

The assumption that Canada has a better health care system than the United States is just another lie perpetuated by liberals attempting to drive this country into a state where even Karl Marx would be proud to dwell.

Universal health care presents problems that are too severe to be effectively overcome.

The first and most absolute problem is determining where the finances for such a large undertaking would come from. Now I know it is easy to say, "We could cut military spending and make the rich pay more taxes!" But first of all let's remember that the primary objective of a country should be to provide for the security of its citizens. Cutting defense spending would adversely affect our country's ability to do so.

Secondly, taxing the rich to provide health care for those who cannot afford it would simply create an atmosphere of state-sanctioned class warfare. If you are unable to afford health care, maybe you should try experimenting with self-sacrifice and self-reliance rather than self-pity. It may just make you a better American.

The next and most dangerous problem with a universal health care system is the complete inefficiency that exists in matters handled by a bureaucracy.

We can look to Canada for some real-world examples of this inefficiency. One common occurrence in Canada is that there is a six-week waiting period from the time you are referred to a specialist until you actually see the specialist.

Six long weeks for that tumor in your brain to grow while you wait for an overburdened specialist. Even more outrageous than this, however, is a practice that is being used in Toronto. Toronto area hospitals, fearful of lawsuits, are now asking patience to sign waivers accepting the fact that their health may be seriously jeopardized by the long waits that exist for most medical procedures.

But this nightmare of socialized medicine appears to be what America is heading toward. Many politicians believe that by following the Canadian model we will be progressing toward a more perfect, more homogenous society that will eventually lead to a “classless society.” But I ask those politicains to ask those who survived a classless society about it.

If we really do this and take one more step towards socialism, not only will most Americans double-pay for healthcare (the government health care, and then their private health care that may actually save their lives), but we will also enter into a new horrific era. An era in which people don't die due to lack of health care coverage; they just die waiting for treatment that may come too late. Payment of these late fees could be their lives.

— This columnist can be reached at collegian@csufresno.edu