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Combs: Public Option? We need a Private Option

McDowell's leading liberal's clear thoughts and common sense

By Britt Combs | The McDowell News

Published: October 27, 2009

The "public option" is back in the "health care reform" scheme. Stripped of all the jargon and nonsense, it basically means the federal government will run its own "health insurance" company.

This is in keeping with all the foolish ranting from Democrats last summer, that insurance companies shouldn't be afraid to "compete on the free market." That's kind of like saying junior high school wrestlers shouldn't be afraid to compete with CIA agents, armed to the teeth, hepped up on meth and given complete immunity from civil or criminal action against them. 'Tain't really a level playing field, you see.

By the way, this past summer is the only instance I can recall of federal politicians from either of the so-called parties singing the virtues of "competition" and the "free market." How typical that the only time they use that phrase, they use it incorrectly.

Private versus public competition seems to be all the rage these days, and central to the philosophy (if there indeed is a coherent philosophy) of the Obama administration, now that government owned automobile companies are "competing" against private ones. Obama is now threatening to take over financial firms if the administration becomes displeased with their operations (translated: if the company fails to make contributions to the right parties, candidates and foundations).

With a public option, you can buy your insurance at market determined, but government approved, rates from a private insurer -- an insurer that is specifically forbidden to make any sort of profit or cut any sort of loss whatsoever. Or you can "opt in" and buy it at a much lower rate from a government run company that has the power to simply print more "money" if it can't make ends meet.

We'll see how long that lasts. Once the public option is the only game in town, we'll see it run the way all government owned or government chartered monopolies run. It'll suck, plain and simple.

Think of it. How many monopolies can you name? How many of them are responsive to the client's needs and affordably priced? The power company? The Federal Reserve? The courts? The Army? The police? The White House? The DOT? The phone company? Any of them? Not even one? My goodness.

The public option. How goofy and destructive can a government get? What we need now, more than anything else, is a private option. We 10-or-so percent of Americans who still believe in the old Constitution and the rule of law should be allowed to "opt out" of all the government's silly, fascist fantasies.

Here's how the Private Option would work:

--If you don't want the Democrats' and Republicans' army of over-paid jack booted thugs pouring through your medical records trying to find something to arrest you for, you can "opt out." You won't have any public insurance and you won't get any help if you get sick. But, on the plus side, you won't have to pay for the care of a bunch of lay-abouts and stick-at-naughts unless you actually, sincerely and voluntarily want to. Charity will be voluntary, rather than by force of court-ordered violence.

--Say you object to sending soldiers to far away lands to kill impoverished brown people. You can "opt out," meaning you no longer have to pay taxes to support murder.

-- Or how about if you object to fraud, deceptive business practices, treason and counterfeiting? You can "opt out" of the Federal Reserve System, and no one can force you to accept paper dollars in payment of debt. You can insist on gold, even mint your own if you wish.

--Tired of paying $35,000 for a rotten car full of EPA mandated pollution devices and nanny state safety features that all break down and become worthless five or six years down the road? You can "opt out" of EPA protection and buy a diesel powered car. If you wreck, you'll have to rely on your own safety devices to save you, the government will not be there to help.

Those who "opt out" could live and dwell among the Democrats and Republicans peacefully. They would be entirely on their own if they needed to see a doctor or get some drugs. They could pay cash (gold or silver coin) or request assistance from family or charity or church, or even, just opt to honorably succumb to disease without squealing about it.

He'd be entirely on his own. If he got into a bind, the federals would not rescue him. But then again, he'd never have to worry about the federals locking him and his family inside his home or church and setting it on fire, burning all inside to death. Because he had opted out, his home would be off limits to the enforcers of America's uber-government.

His taxes would be strictly state and local, unless he imported or exported merchandise. He would have no contact whatsoever with the federals unless he happened to travel to Washington D.C. I suspect he would go around.

Can you imagine how sputteringly indignant all the federals would be if people opted out? It'd be worth it just to see those petty tyrants' impotent blubbering. Come on, you know it'd be fun to laugh and spit in the faces of those irrelevant, obsolete old fools.

What if they threw a government and nobody came?

Staff writer Britt Combs writes a weekly column for The McDowell News. His harangues have informed and delighted co-workers, prominent members of the aristocracy and world leaders, both living and dead.