Fighting for Your Right to Die

Does it seem odd that American citizens are protesting in the streets, not demanding universal health care, but rather demanding not to have it? Why are we the most powerful nation, with the biggest economy on the planet, yet the only developed democracy which does not provide health care to all its citizens? Well, it seems to me, what with how much sense Glenn Beck makes, that it’s just not how our little model works.

The fear of death is almost primordial. No sooner do we discover our mortality than do we begin to fear it. Some degree of fear in the population is essential for productivity. It is essential for creating order. Hence, Hans Morgenthau’s rule, about the necessity of having a monopoly on all means of violence in creating a nation.

We can’t beat workers like we used to, but if the threat of being uninsured is constantly held over the head of every individual, the dog eat dog, never ending quest for wealth (our ideal mindset for US citizenry), is reinforced, because, in our society, the closest thing to a fountain of youth is an unlimited bank account. Just ask Steve Jobs and his brand new liver.

Our version of cutthroat, free-market capitalism may very well fall apart if the proletariat is no longer in such literal fear for their lives. Is that what the conservatives are worried about? Is it less about profits for insurance companies and an out of control national debt, and more about the worry that cutthroat consumerism might be threatened if the sheep are a little less afraid for their lives?

If you are trying to create a selfish, money hungry, rat racing, capitalist, consumer, there is no better way than to start by making his health care dependant on his success in the rat race. Is it not logical that an employee will be more accommodating and easier to manipulate and control if his health care is dependant on his job? Won’t the uber-rich be more willing to keep outrageously accumulating wealth and clawing for a higher position on the masters of the universe list, like Oprah Winfrey, if the possibility of more surgical procedures is dependant on more money and if you know the government won’t pay for you to be frozen, cast in pure gold, and shot into outer space to live forever with Walt Disney and L. Ron Hubbard?

Many American politicians argue that providing universal health care is an ethical issue. Well that may be. But in the USA, the very foundation of our capitalism, a primary quest for wealth, and an obsession with getting higher on the social ladder, is ethically questionable.

If the whole cultural ideal rests on having more than the next guy, and individuals are entitled to accumulate billions of dollars while the next guy has to go into debt just to go to college, it’s not surprising that we don’t provide health care to everyone. Why would we? It might undermine our very way of life: our selfish individual pursuits of more stuff to distract ourselves from our impending demise and our powerlessness to stop it; even with all the plastic surgery, tubes, needles, and breathing machines. We all have to die.

I hope that doesn’t seem morose. Yet here we are, in a dilemma. Our present condition leaves questions unanswered. As rich as we are, it turns out our formula has left us a couple trillion dollars in debt, uninsured or not. The FDIC is looking to the banks it insures because it needs to borrow money. Yep, you read that correctly. If the banks don’t lend the money, the FDIC will be going to the US Treasury for cash, yet the US Treasury is just a touch beholden to China at the moment. It seems our quest for more has left us at a few trillion less than zero.

I go to Glenn Beck for the best information out there; and one thing is sure, Beck is protecting the American way. None of this sissy, lets try to take care of all our citizens, stuff. No. The greed must stand. So if we are not going to tax 100% of all wealth above 100 million dollars for those individuals who are worth that much, in order to build a green infrastructure, provide health insurance to all citizens, and pay off the national debt, then what should we do?

I suggest a purchase quota. This would be something akin to what Christopher Columbus cleverly devised when he was governor of Hispaniola in the early 1500’s. Convinced there were vast amounts of gold beneath the island, he required that each native deliver a certain amount of gold, or off with a hand. Well it turned out that there wasn’t much gold, so a lot of hands got chopped. Hands are important in sustaining a population, and sure enough, it wasn’t long before the native population of Hispaniola was nearly extinct. What lesson does this provide us in discussing health care? Dead folk don’t require health care.

One plus one equals Glenn Beck. So to avoid the terrible burden of keeping an aging population of hard partying baby boomers alive and Viagra’d on the government dime, we could impose consumption minimums. This is the way to keep the American way alive. If you are too old to be a good consumer, the plug gets pulled. Pay to play baby. It’s the American way. Spend to live. Simple. Thank god those folks are protesting in the streets. “Don’t give us health care!” “Let us die if we can’t afford health insurance!” “Stop trying to take away our rights!” Keep standing up people. Don’t give in. Don’t let the government provide you health care. Private corporations are the ones who really care about you. If you aren’t working and spending, and you don’t have enough accumulated wealth to pay to stay alive, then you can just keep fighting for your right to die.