Russell Shurts Opinion Piece in Rocky Mountain News

The August 7, 2007 Rocky Mountain News published the following opinion piece from Russell Shurts:

Socialized medicine another gang operation

By Russell W. Shurts

Let's say your friendly neighborhood gang on successive nights threw rocks through your window, and then on the third day sent a rather menacing member of the gang to your door to offer you the opportunity to buy protection from further intrusions. Would you call what was being offered 'protection,' in the proper sense of that word?

Let's say your friendly neighborhood gang on successive nights threw rocks through your window, and then on the third day sent a rather menacing member of the gang to your door to offer you the opportunity to buy protection from further intrusions. Would you call what was being offered 'protection,' in the proper sense of that word?

Well, for nearly half a century the government has been throwing legalized 'rocks' through your health care system, and today after thoroughly wrecking it their unsavory representatives are offering you 'protection.' In 1965 the same type of people advocating further government intervention in medicine now were successful in convincing Americans to give the government control over all health care provided for those who are indigent or over 65. Prior to the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid in that year, health care spending never exceeded 6% of annual gross domestic product. Today it is 16% and rising. It is not difficult to understand when you make a valuable service 'free,' the demand for that service will rise. When the demand for anything valuable increases, its price inevitably increases, or at least it does if there is any kind of a free market available to trade for it in.

And that's where the government 'protection' comes in; the only way the unsavory representatives know how to lower prices is to mandate them by government force, i.e. to do away with the free market. Unfortunately, as we have seen time and time and time again, reality is not to be denied; not by wishing, not by magic wands and most certainly not by government mandate.

Since the introduction of socialist programs over 100 years ago, we have seen the same pattern repeated over and over and over again. Whatever service or good is either made the property of the state or put under the control of the state immediately becomes a scarce service or good. Remember the endless waiting lines in the Soviet Union? Well, they are being played out right now in the doctor's offices and emergency rooms in every country and state that has put the control of medicine under the government thumb.

There is a word that properly describes what is being offered here: extortion. Your government, however, is not as honorable as your friendly neighborhood gang; because if you buy this kind of 'protection' you will not get more and cheaper health care. You will only get far less effective health care, if you get any at all.

Russell W. Shurts, Centennial