Friday, August 14, 2009

What Was That, Mr. President?

I was watching President Barack Obama during a televised town hall meeting from New Hampshire. He was discussing the various aspects of the proposed ObamaCare health care reform plan. One item he brought up was the question of whether private industry would be driven out of business by having to compete with a program run, and backed by, the federal government. He used, as a comparative example, the United States Postal Service (USPS) balanced against the United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (FedEx). In this comparison, President Obama pointed out that, while UPS and FedEx are doing well, the USPS is billions of dollars in debt. He was, I believe, trying to show that the private companies, FedEx and UPS, were doing fine in competition against the federal government, as represented by USPS.

However, what other point has been made here? Inadvertently, I believe that President Obama also proved that private industry is much more efficient than similar government-run endeavors. Think about the implications of that point in today's atmosphere. While I agree that some problems exist in the current health care system of this country, do you really think that the overall efficiency and cost of healthcare will go down once the government takes it over?!?! If you do, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I can sell you for a great price!!

I cannot honestly think of one industry where the government runs more efficiently than private enterprise. When the feds took over airline security in 2001, it did not get more effective or more efficient. It got longer lines at security checkpoints and it got more expensive by giving the security people federal jobs with federal benefits, but the security did not actually get any better. A recent security audit showed that the vast majority of the sites tested failed to prevent weapons and contraband from getting through the airport.

The purpose to our government should be defense of our nation and protection of our citizens, to allow for an atmosphere where private enterprise can work in a relatively safe environment without fear. The government should focus on that task alone, and allow industry to flourish and the economy to grow. That system has worked in the past and allowed the United States of America to become the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the history of the world. THAT SYSTEM WORKED IN THE PAST AND IT CAN WORK AGAIN, IF THE POLITICIANS WILL ONLY GET OUT OF THE WAY AND QUIT TRYING TO MANAGE EVERYTHING!!

LET'S GIVE IT A TRY AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

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