The Daily Dose/February 6, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Notes from around the Human Experience…
INSERT OWN FUNNY LEAD LINE HERE: One of the great things about President Trump – President Trump! – is that while you can generally be sure he is going to say or tweet something, you’re kept on your toes because you’re never entirely certain what it is going to be. I mean, we are dealing with a man whose only real talent is drawing attention to himself, so while Trump usually can be counted on to stay on message, sometimes he goes off on a tangent.
Extra, Extra, Read All About It: Monday was a good example when Trump tweeted about the crucial issue of universal health care. Sure, Senator Bernie Sanders and a few other left wingers like to yap about this, but it is not really an issue that is on our collective radar right now. Exactly why this was on the president’s mind isn’t clear, though the tweet did come an hour or so after a British official appeared on FOX News claiming Britain’s health care problems were to be blamed on immigrants – a fave Trump topic, of course – but who knows?
Trump also said that Britain’s system – where the government provides and pays for its citizen’s medical care – was “not working” and that Brits had taken to the streets to protest this fact. Like a lot of things Trump says this wasn’t entirely true, as the majority of marchers at a recent rally merely wanted their government to provide the system with more money to alleviate long waits for routine things because right now there aren’t enough doctors to treat everyone immediately.
Fly In The Ointment: Actually, America does have a single-payer system, Medicare, a government-funded program that provides health insurance for American 65 and older, as well as some others. It originated in 1966 during the Lyndon Johnson Administration. The government also attempts to provide medical care to a few million veterans, something it fails miserably at.
Gaylon For Congress…Vote Early, Vote Often: The midterm elections are later this year and even if universal health care isn’t our biggest issue right now, it’s good to talk about it. Despite the fact our government does not provide medical care for its citizens, health care remains one of the most regulated segments of American life, which is the problem.
We’ve always said that doctors are commercial enterprises in business to make a profit, not have their industry taken over by the government. We let the free market provide food, clothing, housing, and sneakers, we must also allow it to provide medical care, too.
When you have a free market where doctors and health insurers must provide the goods and services the public wants to buy at the prices they are willing to pay, then you have a system built on service and innovation. Prices will come down and the quality of care, already pretty good in this country, will rise and innovation will flourish.
The Bottom Line: Doctors and health insurers must be allowed the same access to the free market that your plumber or lawyer has. It is the only way we are going to get a healthcare system that works for everyone, from citizens to doctors to insurers.
ON THIS DATE! ON THIS DATE!: A day of the week is mentioned for the first time in recorded history, as some scribbling on a wall in Pompeii identifies this date as a Sunday in 60 AD. Using modern reckoning, February 5, 60 AD was actually a Wednesday.
All Aboard: New Jersey grants the first railroad monopoly to a consortium led by businessman John Stevens on this date in 1815. It was the first railroad charter granted by a state and allowed Stevens and his partners to build a railroad between New Brunswick and Trenton.
Though not the most famous American from this era, Stevens had a useful life. In the 18th century, Stevens had built the first steam locomotive in the US, as well as the first steam-powered ferry and he inaugurated the first commercial ferry service in the country. His pestering of Congress to protect inventors – like John Stevens, for instance – led to the first patent law being passed in 1790 and the land his family’s estate was on is now home to the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Long Live The Queen: King George VI of Britain dies on this date in 1952 at the age of 56. He is succeeded immediately by his daughter Elizabeth, 25, who at the time of his death was in a tree house at a hotel in Kenya.
Long Live The Queen II: While her heir apparent Prince Charles nervously looks at his watch and taps his pencil on his desk, Elizabeth II continues to reign and at 65 years and she has had the longest reign of any British monarch.
Quotebook: He decided, as usual, that it was wisest that he mind his own business… – Alex Haley, Roots
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: The Philadelphia Eagles have won their four NFL championships at the following stadiums: US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis (2018), Franklin Field, Philadelphia (1960), the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1949) and Shibe Park, Philadelphia (1948).
Today’s Stumper: Whose record for longest reign by a British monarch did Queen Elizabeth II break? – Answer next time!
