2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #257 "MAKIN' A LIST"

One of my good friends has an amazing habit of making and keeping lists of various interesting things that he notices in our lives.  But recently this habit got even more of my attention because he wrote what he calls “My List of Challenges to Non-Left and Libertarian Thinkers” which, as you will see, shows what many political progressives would have us believe in today’s Coronavirus world.  (I intercepted his list at 47, but he probably has continued writing more.)  Do you agree with these assertions?  (I didn’t think so.)  My friend varies below on what he agrees with, but the point is that the Coronavirus has become politically divisive.  Wise decisions now will come only if we can control that divisiveness.  So here is the list for your consideration, analysis and discussion:

1.  Bigger government is a good thing and is welcome.

2.  We should trust the government.

3.  We should quietly accept the government limiting our freedom to engage in commerce and everyday activity. 

4.  The People cannot be trusted to make the correct decisions.

5.  The government knows what it is doing.

6.  The government these days is capable of acting non-politically.

7.  In times of crisis, the government should not be questioned.

8.  Scientists always know the correct policy.

9.  Scientists should not be questioned.

10. We should not balance a human life against a cost, no matter what the cost is.

11. Government never engages in balancing a human life against a cost.

12. Politicians would not use this as a chance to enhance their political future.

13. Issues of commerce are evil, or of very diminished importance.

14. Business always has a surplus supply of money that can cover any expenses imposed on business.

15. Businesses forced into bankruptcy by government action probably shouldn’t have been operating anyway.

16. Some businesses are too big to fail and we must provide substantial public funding to avoid their bankruptcy.

17. It makes sense to respond to questions about MERS, SARS, H1N1, etc., by simply saying the Coronavirus is substantially different from the common flu.

18. Masks protect not the wearer, but the public, but when there is a shortage of masks, healthcare workers are threatened by not having a mask.

19. It is racist to describe a disease by its place of origin.

20. It is hilarious (on the John Oliver show) to say that the Coronavirus came from eating bats.

21. It is wrong to even consider that the economic shutdown will cause more deaths than the Corona virus under a more moderate response.

22. Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve both Liberty and Safety. (Contrary to what Benjamin Franklin warned us about)

23. It is not possible that in the next few weeks there will be a vaccination, cure, improved statistics supporting a different model, or a miracle, that would sufficiently reduce the risk of Coronavirus.

24. Concerning risks, overreaction is necessary to reduce the risk.

25. Concerning risks, overreaction might be needed to get the People’s attention.

26. Government would never use a crisis to expand its power permanently and achieve other goals.

27. Relying on government is better than promoting and relying on individual responsibility.

28. Increasing the national debt is not a problem.

29. Government can make complex supply decisions better than the market.

30. There is no anti-Trump element in the response to the Coronavirus.

31. When we are confronted with an unsafe situation, the Government is responsible for taking care of us, with “safe spaces” or whatever is needed.

32. Manufacturers taking great risks and incurring huge extra costs does not justify charging more, which is “gouging”. 

33. Discovering a cure that saves society trillions of dollars does not justify the cure discoverer receiving substantial funds, even if patent protection is obtained.

34. Big Pharma, after incurring incredible risks and costs, must not be allowed to charge more for its invention, even if patent protection is obtained.

35. The Coronavirus justifies releasing prisoners who -- at great expense -- were captured, found guilty, and imprisoned under a very protective criminal procedure.

36. The Coronavirus justifies imprisoning a person for not wearing a mask (a hijab reverse).

37. The Coronavirus justifies imprisoning a person for holding a church service. 

38.  Buying a gun for protection is not an “essential” act.

39. It is appropriate to add to a Coronavirus relief bill funding for $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, $75 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $88 million to the Peace Corps, $150 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, $1 billion to Amtrak, $30.8 billion for the Department of Education, $17 billion for Boeing, a $10 billion loan to the U.S. Postal Service, $48 million for sex education, $500,000 for a Central Utah water project, $3 million for the U.S. Forest Service, $99 million for the Department of Energy, and $7.5 million for the Smithsonian Institution.

40. The Coronavirus justifies stopping free trade with China.

41. The Coronavirus justifies a stronger immigration policy. 

42. Trump should not be allowed to put on a speaker who has switched to making many masks and praises God and the Bible.

43. The Federal government is better at responding to a crisis than state government.

44. A uniform response across all states is better than a tailored response to different state conditions.

45. A large increase in risk aversion among Americans is good and should be encouraged.

46.  It is wrong for Christians to pray for a miracle.

47. Those expressing concern about those hurt economically are really only interested in their own self-interest and the stock market (as in the cartoon below).

Thought for the week:  “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)                                                                            2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with          Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President 

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

Again #44. Those expressing concern about those hurt economically are really only interested in their own self-interest and the stock market (as in the following cartoon).

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #237 "HEALTHCARE FOR ALL"

      Obviously the subject of healthcare for all is actively being discussed in today’s world.  I agree this result is desirable, not because anyone is entitled to it but, because we are a compassionate society, we would do it voluntarily.  But what form should it take?  Bringing a single-payer system, or so-called Medicare for all, would be fine, as long as people don’t mind having their healthcare run by the equivalent of the Department of Motor Vehicles.  But we truly can do better.  As an illustration, we have some great friends visiting us now from Canada, and they volunteered that Canada’s socialistic system simply does not seek out innovation.  Why?  Because it is a bureaucracy, and bureaucracies have a strong tendency to resist change.  So for creative care, they must come to the US.

       So what should we do?  The answer is that we should install a system of Medical Savings Accounts.  That means that for those people who can afford to address their own healthcare needs, we should simply require them to put $5,000 into the equivalent of an ATM account at the beginning of each year, and then get the government out of the way.  Then they would purchase the catastrophic health insurance of their choice, probably costing them something like $1,000 per year. Then all of their healthcare expenses would be paid directly out of the $4,000 that remained in the account.  Studies show that most adults pay far less than $4,000 per year on their healthcare needs until they approach the end of their lives.  So if they spent less than that, the remainder would simply roll over into their account for the next year and, eventually, it could be used for their retirement.  However, if they needed to spend more, their insurance would kick in, such that they would only be required to pay their $4,000 “deductible” and then their co-pays.  That would result in everyone spending their money wisely – because it was their money!  And that would also bring competition back to the healthcare field which would, in turn, bring prices back down.  For those people that needed some financial assistance for their healthcare needs, as long as they were legal residents, a voucher system could be used on a sliding scale depending upon their financial abilities.   Then those vouchers could be spent on the private market for payments and co-pays.  So this program would combine the best results that competition brings to the marketplace, which are competition, responsibility for one’s own healthcare needs, and medical coverage for all.

Quote for the week, with one elderly businessman talking to another: “It was slanderous, it was insulting and it was an outrage; but I see their point.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #177 “MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS”

    With programs like the so-called Affordable Care Act and proposed single payer systems, we are well on our way to having our healthcare managed by the equivalent of the Department of Motor Vehicles.  This reality was stated succinctly by P.J. O’Rourke, who said “If you think our healthcare is expensive now, wait ‘til it’s free.”  So what is the alternative?  Health Savings Accounts, which are based upon two timeless truths.  The first is that people get the best results at the greatest value when they spend their own money upon themselves.  And the second is that the best healthcare results also occur when patients become active partners with their healthcare professional in addressing their own healthcare needs. 

     So how do Medical Savings Accounts work?  The majority of people in our country do not need the government’s “assistance” in healthcare.  So get the government out!  Instead, each of us who has the financial ability will place $5,000 into the equivalent of an ATM account at the beginning of each year.  Then this account would first be used to purchase catastrophic health insurance on the open market, which would basically be health insurance with a $5,000 deductible minus the cost of the premium.  Then for the remainder of the year this account would be used to pay for all healthcare goods and services.  So under this system, we would be spending our own money directly to our chosen healthcare professionals, pharmacies, etc. without any bureaucracy or red tape.  Since most studies show most adults pay less than $4,000 per year for their healthcare needs until they approach the end of their lives, these accounts would be sufficient for all of those needs. As for those people who could not afford the entire $5,000, they could receive government vouchers on a sliding scale to make up the difference and then be involved in the same system.  Then any money left over at the end of the year would be rolled over into next year’s account, and all monies in the account at age 65 could be used for retirement.  So people would always have an incentive to spend their healthcare money wisely.  Result?  Increased competition and virtually no bureaucracy, which will, in turn, serve to increase both quality and value in our healthcare.  In other words, once again, Liberty works far better than government.

                                                                      

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, 

along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Quote of the week: “I have not failed.  I have discovered 10,000 ways that don’t work.”  Thomas Edison

By the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty!