Don't Ask if You Don't Want to Know the Answer

Despite my last article, I keep hearing things like: “Don’t you think that everyone should have equal access to quality healthcare?” “Don’t you think tort reform would bring down costs?” and “Don’t you think it should be illegal for insurance companies to drop your coverage?” As I said, I think I’m done talking about the healthcare issue. But, since I can’t seem to get away from the endless discussion, here’s exactly what I think (with apologies to Crash Davis)…

I think that Congress is more concerned with pleasing special interest groups than helping their constituents, and I believe that Dennis Kucinich is the exception that proves the rule. I think that most of the people who oppose the President’s plans are not racist, but I believe that most of those who make such an accusation could be. I think that the United States has the highest quality healthcare on the planet, but I believe that we can do better at making it attainable to a greater percentage of people.

I think that anyone who wants to change a system so intricate and complex should take a lesson from NASCAR. If you watch, you’ll see lots of drivers start a race with a car that just can’t compete. But the successful race teams are the ones that, each time the car comes down pit road, only make small changes. They put in a wedge here, change a little tire pressure there and slowly get the car running faster. The crews who try to correct for everything on the first stop usually end up with a driver in the wall.

I think that anyone who uses the Post Office as an example of how government options can work in a free market system is disingenuous, and I believe that their huge annual deficit proves my point. I think that profits are a good thing and capping executive pay would be a mistake, but I believe that way too many CEOs are making way too much money. I think that capitalism works for this country, because I believe that while businesses often fail, the American worker rarely does.

I believe in the strength of a nation that built the Hoover Dam, the Sears (now Willis) Tower and the Brooklyn Bridge. I’m humbled by the spirit of a people that powered flight and landed on the moon. I’m amazed at the inventiveness of those who harnessed electricity, discovered new cures, and split the atom. And, I will never discount the inherent good in people and their desire to achieve higher goals.

I think that we owe respect to all our elected officials, but I believe that they owe us a lot more than that. I think that heckling the President is in bad taste, but I believe that incessant applause is just as tacky. I think that the right to free speech is something everyone should exercise, but I believe that the right to remain silent is actually a more powerful statement. I think that the radical ends of both parties have hijacked civil discourse, but I believe that most of the media have no interest in acting as referee.

I think that there is something inherently wrong with anyone being a "career politician", but I believe that the founding fathers had good reason not to insist on term limits. I think that no one should be able to make more money legislating business than they could make by being in business, and I believe that political paychecks should be the first thing required to be “budget neutral”. I think that taxes are a necessity, but I believe that government waste shouldn’t be.

I think that the IRS uses more questionable tactics than the CIA. I believe in the utility of force, but rarely in its necessity. I think that nuclear power is the answer. I believe that the climate is changing, but that the “global warming” movement is a hoax. I think that the United Nations is more corrupt than any mafia organization. I believe that Saudi Arabia is more potentially dangerous than North Korea ever will be. I don’t accept that good fences make good neighbors, because I think that fewer fences make stronger neighborhoods. I believe in the benefits of being “one nation, under God”. I think that white collar criminals should be more eligible for the death penalty. I believe that marriage is too dependent on religion to ever be effectively regulated by government. I think that the Super Bowl should be held in every NFL city, including those without domes. I believe that the chicken came first. I don’t think that prostitution is a victimless crime. I believe that Elvis is dead, but Jim Morrison might not be. I think that Alaska should secede from the nation, but that the Baja California peninsula should become a U.S. state.

And I truly believe that this might put an end to anyone every asking me, “What do you think?”, ever again. Although, I don’t think this will dissuade me from continuing to offer my perspective anyway.

Read More on Perspective
Volume 5, Issue 19, Posted 9:31 PM, 09.23.2009