Choice? Health Care Reform, Cars, and Freedom

Well, Oklahoma is still abuzz with discussion about the new health care bill. Many say they are outraged about the concept of people being forced to purchase something. And, besides health insurance companies, what other company do you know with a guaranteed market—a market where participation is required by the government?

Of course, there are other purchases not required by the government that afford little choice. Electricity and  natural gas are examples of companies that more or less have a monopoly market granted by the city government. We can argue that people have a “choice” not to purchase gas or electricity, but I don’t think many of us believed that last winter when it was 20° outside. But, these utilities are regulated. The books are audited, and rates are set by the Corporation Commission.

Car insurance is another similar situation mentioned often. Anyone who wishes to operate a car has to purchase liability insurance or face the long arm of the law. I have not seen any Oklahomans crying their eyes out over drivers being forced to buy car insurance. Some have even suggested that the car insurance situation is drastically different from the health insurance situation in that no one has to drive a car.

So, Oklahoma, here’s a challenge. Park your car for a month. Okay, not a month. How about a week?

Can’t make it through a week? Three days?

One day?

Okay, so how much “choice” do we have

when it comes to owning, maintaining, operating, and insuring cars? We have not invested in public transit. We haven’t planned neighborhoods, schools, libraries, grocery stores, or anything for pedestrian access. We built our state on cheap oil. A car-free Oklahoman is a very marginalized citizen.

This article is not meant to support or oppose the new health care bill. I only hope a few people will think twice about the arguments surrounding “choice” and “coercion.”

Thought on Corporate “Persons”

Since corporations are people deserving the right to free speech, let’s just give them the right to vote! One corporation, one vote.

That leaves us wondering who should cast the vote for any particular corporation? Since the executives’ time is worth SO much money, let’s not distract them from their busy schedules to have them cast votes on behalf of their respective corporations. Why not just find the lowest-paid employee to cast the vote? The employee (probably a janitor or receptionist) can cast a vote in her own behalf, then take an additional few seconds to vote on behalf of her corporation.

This would allow corporations to minimize expenses and maximize profit-making and at the same time enable our dearest fellow citizens to exercise their right to vote. It would also save them from spending all that money on television advertising during political campaigns. And we wouldn’t have to listen to it! It’s a “win-win” as they say in the business world.

When It Comes to Family Values, We Brag a Lot

Oklahomans are fond of “family values.” We feel we place family relationships at a much higher priority than heathen movie stars in California or liberal East-Coast crazies. Sometimes, I wonder just how much we value families–our talk rings more than a little hollow.

I have recently heard from some distraught single moms. These ladies are making heroic efforts to care for kids and keep body and soul together. Sometimes they feel like they may lose the battle in an instant because they are so close to the edge. They worry about poor decisions their latch-key kids might make while Mom is still at work.

It is so odd that in the age of the Internet, we can’t offer more jobs that allow telecommuting.Isn’t it just a little bit puzzling that many U.S. companies have “telecommuting” employees in Mumbai or Bangalore, but struggling single moms, even in the family-values-valuing Bible Belt cannot have any such opportunity.

(If the Econ-O-Nomaly staff is mistaken and there is a plethora of telecommuting choices here in Oklahoma, our readers will surely bring this to our attention.)

Taxes Are Bad Except When We Like Them

Oklahomans can be mysterious. Ask an Oklahoman what she thinks about taxes, and you’re likely to get an earful. Oppressive, unnecessary, unfair, government pickpockets, incompetent bureaucrats… That’s why it’s a little surprising that just over a week ago, Oklahoma City residents voted to continue a tax they could have ended.

Odd, isn’t it? Generally, Oklahomans will tell you that if they have to pay taxes, they don’t want to support any boondoggles and pork-barrel projects. So, you might expect this sales tax to go towards something guaranteed to be successful, a bread-and-butter project. So what have we voted for?

A convention center — now there’s something all of us need for our family reunions. Several thousand of your nearest and dearest can gather for a weekend.

Then, we will somehow turn our small river into a whitewater rafting area? Now this is one thing we’ve all been needing desperately!

There’s more, but the smallest project–$10 million (that’s less than the $17 million contingency fund) is sidewalks. At last, one thing we need!

Time will tell about the wisdom of this project. We’ll all be watching.

One More Thought on MAPS 3

Our city, and Oklahoma in general, has very low taxes by world standards, and even by national standards. We also have inadequate public services. It takes tax money to address these needs.

We are told, however, that rather than address one huge need, public transit, we should settle for building a convention center and a first-rate streetcar system around the convention center area. Then, after eight years or so, we can think about another MAPS election to fund transportation for the rest of town.

This does little to help the older gentleman I saw last weekend attempting to travel in a motorized wheelchair along Northwest Highway.

Here’s just one thought for our city planners. Of course, scrap the convention center. But rather than consider the downtown area as a “down payment” on future transit needs, let’s start with 23rd Street or Northwest Highway or both. The Crosstown 23 bus is a heavily traveled route (putting an end to the objection that “people never really use public transit”) and speeding up transit along the 23rd Street route could be fantastic. This area includes the state Capitol and various state agencies, as well as intersecting numerous other bus routes.

Or how about Northwest Expressway? There is virtually no transit along NW Expressway save for two bus routes that cross it (#8 at Penn Ave. and #10 at Portland Ave.) and a small area between Brookside and MacArthur, eastbound on the #8 bus. Oh excuse me, #7 crosses NW Expressway at May (a highly accessible intersection for a passenger getting off a bus!).

Downtown has sidewalks all over the place, walk signals at virtually every intersection, and three trolleys. Yet, job seekers can forget about seeking employment along NW Expressway unless they are willing to risk their lives daily.

Best tell them to keep looking. Maybe Scrooge & Marley is hiring.

Health Care in the Land of Oz

The newest arguments over health care makes me feel like I just landed in Oz, or maybe even Kansas, but certainly not Oklahoma!

The proposal to curb Medicare spending, in order to provide insurance coverage for more Americans is making Oklahomans angry. Who could have imagined—Oklahomans who are angry about DECREASED government spending?

And there’s more…. Oklahomans are crying their eyes out because they fear doctors will not be fairly compensated if there are cuts in the Medicare budget. Huh? Our state has a history of resenting the educated elite! When I was growing up, doctors and lawyers were described as “people who thrive on others’ misfortune.” And what about our attitude when union workers have to take pay cuts? Oklahomans generally say, “Serves ‘em right–they’re greedy.” Suddenly doctors, who command six-digit salaries, send their kids to private school, and take vacations several times a year are going to be cheated by lower Medicare payments?

Still keeping an eye out for flying monkeys.