I’ll tell you what I’m trying to tell ER: Look behind us. See that off in the distance? That’s the “middle ground.”

I say people should just pay their taxes instead of dodging them. Who knows, they might start feeling normal again by July!

Fortunately, if either of us dies, it will no longer be necessary for the survivor to pay premiums.

And it is cheap compared to medical.

There are the people who are made to pay for other people’s stuff, and the people who don’t pay for their own stuff. There are a lot more of the latter than the former, and in a democracy, you can see for yourself where that leads.

At some level, an economy can withstand a certain amount of wealth distribution, in the same way that a restaurant can afford to give seniors a discount or a railroad can let kids ride for free. But when the government tells the restaurant that everyone has to get the senior discount, the model breaks down. It’s breaking down now. The payers are far outnumbered by the payees, and the payees are demanding more every year. Add free health care to that and what happens?

Seriously, do you honestly think the nearly 50 percent of Americans who pay no income tax now are going to stand for suddenly paying a huge health care tax? Sure, they’re paying for insurance where they work, but that’s transparent to them, like the other half of their Social Security. The actual result is going to be a huge added tax burden on the minority that already carries almost all the load.

And yes, if your entire nation has the population of Wisconsin and is half the size of Maine, it does make national government easier.

Would it be so WRONG for people to pay for each other’s healthcare? They do it in many countries, and they’re much healthier for it. Why can’t people be kind enough to support their neighbors, instead of being greedy little *insert plural expletive* and leaving them to rotin the gutter? Think about it. Denmark does this, and while they have a high tax rate (Oh no, taxes!), they are doing great fiscally, and in terms of population happiness (#1 one on the planet). And please, don’t give me that “they’re smaller, so it wouldn’t work on the grand scale that the US operates” crap. The US was been modeled off of many other countries (often the size of Pennsylvania) when it was formed, and I don’t see why we can’t continue to take a cue from mother countries in our modern law-making process.

That sounds like a monopoly to me.

As for the rest, look around again. We’re in the so-called “compromise.” Nearly half of all our health care spending is from the government right now. In 2009 that number was 44 percent (Table 5). In 2003 (the furthest back on the table) it was 39 percent.

How’s that working? Back when the government was spending much less of our bill, were health care costs higher or lower?

And do you really consider a free and competitive market, with many consumer choices, to be some kind of polar extreme on the opposite side of state control of an entire industry? I mean, really?

“What, you want to wear no chains at all? Where is your spirit of compromise?”

This is why I am certain contemporary conservatism is dead wrong. It’s not that I’m opposed in principle to their policies. On the contrary, many have merit, and many liberal positions have severe contradictions and inconsistencies.

But the modern conservative will not meet you half way, does not believe in compromise, its his way or the highway. And he will stop at nothing until he gets it.