Michael Swickard
“Every government is a parliament of whores. The trouble is, in a democracy, the whores are us.” – P.J. O’Rourke
The mantra for the last half of the 20th century: The answer is government. Few of us were alive back when that was not so. Our government attempts to be all things to all people in all ways and at all times. This is what many people want to hear: The answer is government.
The government spends its time being nosy about my habits, such as if I intend to eat palm oil. They work hard to make sure I cannot, for my own good. I could go on, but it just makes me sick, and you know where that takes me: to the government rules on health care.
For every person who has said it is a good thing for the government to get into health care because it will make it much better, cheaper, more fair and whatever else people have promised, I have a story. I am generally happy and spend much of the day laughing and talking with people. I do very occasionally lose my charm. Let me tell you about the last time.
Insulin, but no needles
The other day I went to my pharmacy. I am an insulin-dependent diabetic. I went to get more insulin. How complicated could that be? I have done the same thing for years. There was a catch this time.
As I got my insulin I said, “Oh, and I ordered needles to use the insulin.” The pharmacy assistant at the counter gave a visible shudder, stuttered and finally blurted out, “The government rules do not allow us to dispense needles to you at this time.” The person hoped I would say, “Oh, fine, guess I will just get along with my insulin but no needles. Well, thanks, have a nice day.”
Nope. I did not do it. I just lost my charm. And, I did not find it standing at the pharmacy.
Instead, I asked, “Are you comfortable giving me insulin without needles?” The issue was not who would pay for the needles; rather, it was that I could have the insulin but no needles. The assistant reiterated that it was due to a government rule, with a convincing nod of the head. Government rules must be followed.
I turned to the pharmacist. “How about you?”
The pharmacist shook his head sadly. “No, I’m not.”
I left the store with my insulin, but no needles. Government rule, give insulin, cannot give needles. Go figure. Who did this? The answer is the government. I thought of the P. J. O’Rourke quote, “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
After a few days and some dialog, I got needles.
What is destroying our country?
In newspapers and on television you will find the notion that cradle-to-grave government is the answer. No matter how many times this is shown to me, I am not buying it. Government protection is an illusion, despite what the homeland security secretary just said on the border – that the southern border has never been more secure. I am just not buying that notion, either.
The notion is that our government knows what it is doing economically when it borrows money from China so it can send some of the borrowed money back to China as foreign aid. Does it make any sense that about half of everything being spent by the national government is borrowed with no plan to pay any of it back? Who has no plan whatsoever to ever pay back the borrowed money? The answer is government.
Maybe things will get better. I have always been an optimist about the future. But it is getting harder. This government sells itself to the highest bidder and then pays those political debts with borrowed money. Not just now. For 40 years, government has taken our social security money each year and spent it without saving even one cent of it. Who did it? The answer is government.
At some point we Americans have to get beyond the notion that the answer is government and look at the question: What is destroying our country? I will not keep you in suspense. The answer is this government.
Swickard is a weekly columnist for this site. You can reach him at michael@swickard.com.
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