The Ghosts of Christmas '44

 

It’s late December 1944.  The 101^st Airborne is surrounded and under siege in a place called Bastogne.  A 19 year-old Texan cleans his M-1 Garand rifle, counts his ammunition and sharpens his bayonet; preparing for the last stand.  His General has already rejected the Germans’ surrender demand with one word: “Nuts”.  There would be no surrender.  The Battle of the Bulge had come down to this place and this time at a strategic crossroads town in Belgium.

A few Belgian citizens had remained in Bastogne.  On Christmas Eve they opened their homes to the men of the 101^st.  After a modest meal and perhaps a glass of wine, together they prayed for strength and clear skies so Allied airplanes might come to the rescue.  Patton’s 3^rd Army was on the way, but could the 101^st hold on?  Someone read from the Bible and in the candlelight the soldiers sang Silent Night. Then gathering whatever courage they could muster went out into the cold darkness and back to the front lines.

My father was that 19 year-old Texan.  He had been wounded in Holland but made it back just in time for the Battle of the Bulge.  Like most combat soldiers, he had become a fatalist.  If it was his time to die, so be it. Obviously, he survived or I wouldn’t be here to write this. But he never really got over the war.  The ghosts of war haunted him until the day he died…perhaps most of all at Christmas.

 

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future.  The Spirits of all three shall strive within me.  I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”- Charles Dickens

Unhealthy Politics

 

Last week we witnessed the horrific assassination of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. Regardless of how one might feel about health insurance providers, violence must be universally condemned. It’s not the answer.

 

But with that said, this tragic event has certainly elevated the conversation about the state of healthcare in America.  For years our politicians have vowed to fix the problem.  Progressives have their ideas and Conservatives have theirs.  They all shake their fists at Big Pharma, Big Insurance, Big Healthcare, Big Food and while they are casting stones; might as well thrown in Doctors and Lawyers just for good measure.

 

And while we the people root for one side or the other, nothing ever gets done. Why is that? One major factor, perhaps THE factor, is the vast amounts of special interest payoffs that go to the politicians themselves. The politicians and their families all have great insurance and healthcare. So, they don’t feel the physical, emotional and financial pain inflicted upon most of their constituents.  Moreover, our elected officials along with thousands of unelected bureaucrats reap the benefits, directly or indirectly, from the largesse of lobbyists and special interest groups.

 

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations including for-profit, non-profit organizations, labor unions and “other kinds of associations”.   And so, the floodgates were opened and most things have just gotten more expensive, especially Healthcare.  The Affordable Care Act added cost to the system most certainly.  Advances in medical technology and treatment tend to elevate costs as well. But when those with money are allowed to act without restraint in their own self-interest, someone must pay for it.  Welcome to American Healthcare 2024.

 

It is unlikely that politicians will pass any sort of legislation that reigns in special interest money or negatively impacts those who benefit the most from the status quo. What’s left on the table are two options that would change not only healthcare, but most things that are wrong in this country: TERM LIMITS and TRANSPARENCY.  You don’t kill the snake by cutting off its tail.  Take away the incentive for politicians to do whatever is necessary to stay in power and they might just be more inclined to make better decisions for “we the people”. 

 

Make no mistake, term limits alone will not solve the problem.  We would still have politicians begging for money while in office and seeking rewards when they leave office.   This is why transparency is necessary.  When shareholders, customers and competitors can “follow the money”, this puts market pressure on those who are providing the money as well as those who are accepting it.  As we’ve seen with consumer reaction to extreme DEI initiatives by corporations, when citizens choose not to buy what these companies are selling, the companies are forced to change. Term Limits and Transparency.  Until we get serious about these, the rest is just smoke and mirrors.