Tuesday, November 18, 2008

'Tis Done

'Tis done. After a failure of historic proportions in George W. Bush, the country has punished the Borrow and Spend party by putting the Tax and Spend party in charge government. The good news is there will be a shrinking tax base even if they don't increase taxes so the short-term damage is limited. Of bigger concern are all of the people that will die before their time when the benefits of Universal Health Care really become apparent. Simply put, scientists and entrepreneurs will find other places for their talents. R&D money will not be spent and drugs and treatments won't get better at the rate they would have. There is one reason the US has the best health care in the world: the profit motive. I've lived in Japan (the second biggest economy and by some measures the richest country) and their health care doesn't come close to the US. Why? They have socialized medicine.