Mount Everest?

A few nights ago, I was sitting in our television room watching some news coverage about health care and my eldest daughter, Kirsten, joined me. As we were watching the discussion unfold there was a reference to socialized medicine. Confused about the term, Kirsten asked me what it meant.

I told her that socialized medicine is when the government takes over the health care system and ultimately decides what kind of treatment we can have as well as what doctors we can see and when. She asked if I liked socialized medicine and I told her that no, Daddy doesn't like the idea of socialized medicine, because other countries have tried it and it never quite works out the way they think it will. No, Daddy prefers to pay for our own health care so we can continue to see the doctors we want to and decide for ourselves the best treatments for our conditions.

Kirsten considered the answer and decided at that moment that she too is against socialized medicine for one reason. She said, "Daddy, it's like paying a bunch of money to climb Mount Everest to get a treasure, and the treasure isn't there." A very astute 7 year old has figured out what grown men and women in our government's highest positions haven't yet learned - you have to know the treasure is real and worth the cost before you waste money looking for it.