By David J. Sanders
Finger nails on a chalkboard, that’s what it’s like sometimes. In any given week there are always a few news stories about subjects that either defy common sense or are altogether outrageous.
Last week was no exception. So what were the things proved to be so annoying? There were two.
A false argument: Claiming that “We can no longer afford to sit back and do nothing,” has become Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s new mantra now that she is busy weighting how she will vote on President Obama’s federal takeover of the nation’s health care system.
What is most offensive about her something-vs.-nothing argument is that she bases it on an entirely false premise. There are a number of health-care reform proposals being debated – some good, some bad.
The House and Senate Democrats’ plans would drive up the nation’s debt by as much as $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years and would, either directly or indirectly, put Washington – not patients and their doctors — in control of health-care decisions, while doing little to actually provide coverage to those who are without health insurance.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, of the 45 million Americans who are without coverage today, 37 million would still be without health insurance after 10 years under the Senate Democratic plan.
On the Republican side, there are plans that tackle health care by covering the uninsured, but not by wrecking a system of health care that works well for most Americans or stacking up trillions in public debt.
Instead, they would use existing dollars and would redirect that money into individual health care accounts for those lacking any kind of health coverage. The recipient would then be able to go to the doctor of his or her choosing, instead of seeking medical care in an emergency room, which is obviously more expensive.
Some options offered by the GOP would open the doors to competition by allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines. The Democratic plans would require those with private insurance to subsidize their so-called public option through higher co-pays and premiums until it becomes virtually impossible to pay for private coverage.
So, like President Obama, who also relies on the same false something-vs.-nothing argument, Sen. Lincoln appears to be making whatever case she can in order to justify a vote that would put the country on a path toward costly, substandard health care. The debate about health care should be argued in terms of doing the right thing vs. wrong thing.
An idiotic idea: At a meeting Wednesday, the Arkansas Highway Commission voted to seek funds to study possible high-speed rail connections from Texarkana to Little Rock and from Little Rock to Memphis, Tenn.
Why should we spend a dime on studying this? Here are the results: To build, operate and maintain a high-speed rail system would cost billions of dollars. Who would ride it, the thousands of people commuting from Little Rock to Memphis or Texarkana to Little Rock everyday? They don’t exist.
I dare say that other than a few bureaucrats who’d like us to turn in our cars and ride public transportation, NO ONE is clamoring for high-speed rail. Just because Sen. Harry Reid is trying to get a high-speed rail connection between Southern California and Las Vegas doesn’t mean we should tap the federal government for money to study what it would take for us to get our own bullet train.
The commission needs to stick to its knitting. Instead of studying bureaucratic pipe dreams, it could figure out how to paint stripes on Arkansas highways that actually reflect light.
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David J. Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is the host of Arkansas Education Television Network’s “Unconventional Wisdom.” His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com.
