Bigger and better ways for government to invade its citizens’ privacy:
Internet blacklists (from JL)
Wiretapping the Internet (from Mike)
Treasury Department data mining
When there is an actual benefit to society, that would be for the great unwashed, not the elite few at the top, and what is collected and presented is thoughtfully considered, I’m all for government programs. Census information helps us make better informed decisions. Social Security (more on this later) did not crash with the stock market. On the other hand, when we start sweeping up everyone and everything we do to be scrutinized (regardless of the feasibility of the second link) without requiring any prior suspicion of guilt, and no matter the efficacy or cost in money or freedom because it’s always for national security and you’re unAmerican to question it, it really starts feeling Orwellian.
I had a brilliant plan for health care once. I was going to base it off of … what? I forgot.
Oh, yes, on how horses are cared for. I was going to shoot the sick. That was it. I was going to call it humanitarian horse health care.
It would revolutionize the training of doctors ( three easy lessons – ready, aim, fire! ). No lengthy end of life care. Bullets are cheap.
and if you don’t agree with me, I will send a squad of doctors around to see you.
Your plan would result in significant cost reductions. And if shooting people works for the military, then why not try it out on other government domains? I think you’re on to something. You should let the death panel people know that they are making it way too complicated. Who needs a panel when it just takes one doctor to shoot the patients that are too sick to protest?
See, cost savings just sprout out of the system!
You can also see why I was initially very excited when I heard about death panels. And why I was disappointed to learn that they did not exist.