Loaves, Fishes and Aspirin

He'd spent the day teaching the multitude. That's what rabbis do in the Jewish tradition, they teach how to live. He had, like many of us when we get on the roll of our own rhetoric, forgotten the time. One of his associates tapped him on the shoulder and reminded him that the crowd had not eaten and they were hungry. He asked his helpers to gather what food there was in the crowd so that they could share with all.

The collection was meager, to say the least. Two loaves and a couple of fishes. He directed that they distribute this and miraculously the baskets for distribution never seemed to run out. The multitude was fed and there were left-overs. It was easy for Him, you see, because he was God and could do stuff like that.

The guy in the fancy house on Pennsylvania Avenue has a similar situation. He's created it with his teaching us how we should live in his world. Unlike his predecessor, he doesn't preach sacrifice from all but rather sacrifice of a select few for the benefit of an unworthy many. It isn't voluntary, and hence meritorious, sacrifice either. It's confiscation of the property of the few. It's his religion.

He proposes distributing health care for all of the people. They are hungry for health care and we must distribute what we have to be shared by all. It is eerily similar to that earlier event.

We simply take what we've got, Medicare and apply the principles to everyone. Medicare works so well (arguably) for those over sixty-five, that it can do the same for all of us. Does it matter that Medicare stumbles onward because everyone who works pays Medicare wages and only a small proportion gets benefits. Lots of payers, few beneficiaries. Lots of loaves and fishes, few diners.

Now, if we have everyone covered, we'll need more loaves and fishes, won't we? We can't provide the same care to five times as many people with only the same input of sustenance. Where do we get the extra chow?

That's the miraculous part!

We are going to "streamline" healthcare. We're going to make it "more efficient." We're going to "manage" it. And that way we will generate the trillion dollars a year it will take to fund it.

If that language translates to anything other than "we are going to cut your access to healthcare drastically" then you aren't paying attention. It means rationing, clinics, limited specialists, low compensation for medical professionals and no surgery/MRI/oncology/dental when we need it.

You simply cannot provide modern medical technology to five times as many people for significantly less money than you are now spending providing ludicrously partial payment for service to the over-65 folks today. Lots more people without an influx of fresh loaves and fishes will not allow for the same level of repast for the whole gathering.

There's only been one man in history that could have pulled off that feat. He was crucified a long time ago. Bamster, you aren't Him.