"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

A mini-rant and curtains.
June 02, 2007 - 11:19 am

I'm seeing, and this is nothing new, lots of immigration stories in the news. Now, I've nothing against immigrants, nothing at all. What confuses is this...

Society 'works' when the people in the society follow the rules, the laws. Without rules and laws we have chaos, right? I guess I'm not totally convinced that people who break the law to enter the country are going to make 'good' citizens.

Is that painting with a broad brush? Of course, it's general ization. It's a blind assumption about a lot of folks I've never met. Assuredly, I've met some of 'them', but well.. that's neither here nor there.

I've little interest in arguments about the utopian way things should be. Not that I disagree with the notions, it's just that they aren't practical or, at this time, relevant. Should people be able to come and go from this, or any, country? Of course. However, it's given human nature that these comings and goings need to be controlled. Would that it were different.. but well, if hemlock weren't poisonous, I might be sipping some right now.

I'm also of the opinion that if you're going to have a nation, the nation needs to be cohesive in some way shape or form. I think we should declare dual national languages. I think english and spanish should be taught at the earliest levels.

I'll listen to an argument for chinese, but.. that seems premature at the moment. Though I've little doubt that China is going become the dominate economic power in short order. Profits and commerce does best in growing markets... and a billion people, a large portion of which have never used a cell phone (try to fathom that), will create a vast amount of wealth.

And.. yes.. for better or worse, the course of humanity is one of corporations. I don't doubt this. Money talks. Money controls. The concept of wealth.. is what drives us.

Why do you work? Would you be doing what you do now if you didn't have bills to pay?

Perhaps one day the Star Trek world with no money will come about. Perhaps.

But.. there's some issues with that. How would 'anything' be done? In large part, the notion of building a better mouse trap and getting rich, drives innovation and invention. Not always, but in large part. If there's nothing to be gained, why would people improve things?

To say we'd do it better all our lives is a noble thought.. but we come back to human nature. Yes, there are those who are altruistic, but stop and think about the average person. We may, on average, be good.. but not that good.

Healthcare is nice example. People seem to think they should get it for free. Everyone should have total and equal access to the best care possible. Again, a noble goal and one that's hard to argue with..

The hitch becomes, how do you pay for it? Higher taxes? So the healthy fully subsidize the sick?

Are you comfortable with a 10 or 20% hike in taxes?

And don't tell me the rich should pay more, where's your sense of altruism now? You want someone to pay for you instead everyone paying a 'fair share' -- an equal percentage. The 'rich' should be penalized for having been successful?

Do you think everyone should have equal access to all the same cars, homes, food and clothing?

Back to healthcare, insurance companies are easy to blame here. They are the entity you deal with that tells you how much you have to pay -- but what most people don't understand that is that these insurance companies (more often than not) don't make a dime, not a single penny, off the bills. Most healthcare insurance really isn't insurance like your car or home insurance, not at all.

If you really think healthcare is too expensive, you should be looking at the hospitals and doctors. They make tidy profits. We are largely ok with this since.. we want good (capable) people to be doctors and whatnot. These folks won't become doctors if they won't get paid well. It just doesn't make sense.. does it?

Back to human nature.

People want someone else to pay their bills. They tend to think they deserve to have something for nothing.

Their employer should pay for all their care. I suppose the employer should pay for your car and home and food too. In fact, you should continue to get your salary and be able to 'expense' every bill you have. Clearly your employer owes you that, right?

Yes, an extreme and I jest.

What about the person who's not taken care of them self?

Take me, I'm fat. I am. Should my healthcare be subsidized? Should the healthy pay a higher tax for my looming higher costs? Why should I, the person who made the choices I've made and ended up this way, have to foot the bill?

I'm fine with a middle ground of catastrophic care being covered by some national program.. but that doesn't mean your regular doctor's visit.. your flu med.. or check-ups.. x-rays and 'normal' things are covered. Just like you don't send in bills for new tires, oil changes and paint jobs to your car insurance. You get them involved when there's been something really 'bad'.

Anyway. I need to go. I need to measure windows and buy some curtains. I want to sleep in a darker, much darker, room.