Zen of Highway

We will begin with the simple, and as you grow in understanding we will move to the more complex. Thus will we approach wisdom at not-excessive speeds. Let us start:

1. It's about the journey, not the destination. Nonetheless, we do wish to arrive sometime, don't we? The accelerator is the one on the right. Yes, even on a freeway entrance ramp.
2. It is not your job to keep others off the highway. They journey also. Let them in, and see the flow continue; move to block them, and see it screech to a halt.
3. Control is an illusion. Still, the Right Path can be found between the white lines, not astride one of them.
4. You are not obligated to control the speed of others. They deserve the opportunity to make their own poor choices. Move right; let them pass. Consider the traffic officer as an agent of karma.
5. One may desire to leave the freeway; open the way for this one, so he may pursue his own path. More freedom, less gridlock.
6. When the time comes for you to move beyond, do so gracefully. Be prepared for the change that approaches. Move toward your new path steadily and calmly. That way you may choose where you arrive - work, for example, instead of the Emergency Room.
7. That's your Teacher, in the silver Passat. Move over, you idiot!

If the opposite of "pro" is "con," the opposite of "progress" is ...

Congress, Congress, I've been thinking
What a grand world this would be
if every federal legislator
Lived a life of normalcy.

I think the reason Congress has a hard time dealing with the thorny issues of our times (banking, finance, health care) is because most of them have never had to worry about these things. Yes, I know there are exceptions; don't be tiresome. But mostly, they've never been in the position of deciding whether to take the baby to the ER or to daycare; whether to pay the mortgage or the insurance; whether to buy heat or light for the coming month.

So, to clarify things for these deprived fellows, here's how health care should work in the US:
A: Honey, the baby threw up again!
B: I'll call the Clinic.
C: Here are three things you can try. I'll call you back in one hour.
...
C: How's it going?
A: The baby threw up again!
C: Can one of you bring her in?
A: I can't, I have to work in the morning. B can, though.
C: Okay, we'll expect you.
A: What will this cost?
C: $5 for the visit and $5 per prescription if medication is prescribed. We can bill you, if necessary.
A: Okay, B will bring the baby right now.

Now, except that Congresspersons would never bother asking about the cost, that's how it is for them. And how it was for us, back in the golden era of a Union job and terrific, employer-paid health care. But those days are gone forever; I don't even know anybody with a Union job. And while my employer pays some of my healthcare, so do I.

In the days when a man held a job with the same company for 30 years, it made excellent sense to tie his health care to his employment. But that's no longer the way this country works. We are mobile. We are willing to change. And we want our benefits to travel with us.

Here's my modest proposal for health care coverage:
1. It's global. No exclusions because you're diabetic or homeless or once got arrested. Or because you have "lifestyle" illnesses from smoking drug use/addiction, alcohol use.
2. There is no deductible. You don't have to pay the first $100 or $200 for medical, the first $100 for dental.
3. There are no limits. It's okay if you're sick more than once a month.
4. It's government-run. You don't have to sign up with Blue Cross or Aflac or State Farm. You just have to get a Social Security card.
5. It includes all other programs currently in place: Medicare, Medicaid, Veteran's care, public health clinics.
6. It is non-exclusive. If you want "extra" health care, you can still get it at your own expense. Maybe by subscription. Maybe the insurance companies will add programs for people with disposable income to buy into, private clinics, whatever. That's fine, as long as everyone has the basics.
7. It is fair to providers: doctors and other medical staff will be paid a living wage, commensurate with their education levels.
8. There's no enrollment: get a Social Security card, you're covered.
9. Health records are centralized and portable. They can be accessed with your Social Security number and fingerprint or retinal scan.

Where does the money come from? Well, if employers aren't paying for health care, perhaps they'll increase wages and tax income will increase. If we combine programs, perhaps there will be savings of scale. If we eliminate the payments to support insurance companies, certainly the costs will go down.

We're smart; we can figure it out.