Tom Brokaw needs to stop!

I watched about 30 seconds of the Tom Brokaw show on USA network. I watched him breathlessly speak with some folks about their current situation. “These people walk a fine line every day. They live without health insurance. ‘Do you have insurance?’ he asked, ‘No sir we don’t,’ replied the man.”

Very captivating stuff right? Of course after about 15 seconds I’m yelling at the TV… <pointing at the woman in bed> “You weigh 400 lbs! You don’t have money for health care but you can eat yourself into morbid obesity?” <pointing at the husband/boyfriend — after all, who knows right?> “You have tattoos all over your body! They go all the way up to your neck! You can spend money on tattoos but not health insurance? And you want me to foot the bill for you!?!?!”

By this time, my lovely wife comes in and turns off the television. I don’t blame her really, when I yell it can be pretty scary. I can not believe the gall that some people have. I mean really! Everyone chooses to live their lives the way they want to. I have no problem with that. After all, I want to live my life without anyone telling me what to do. But come on people! How is it that you can live your life the way you want and THEN have the nerve to come tell me that I have to put into a system so that YOU can access health care when you clearly are making the decision to opt out?

People making bad decisions does not an emergency make for me. It sounds callous and it probably is. After all we should all work together to make the place better right? Doesn’t that assume that everyone works for the common goal of making it better?

The basic premise of socialism is that everyone works and puts into a pool for the “common good,” correct? The primary flaw of socialism is that once people figure out that they don’t have to work as hard to get the benefits, they won’t. Human beings like every other organism on the planet will take the path of least resistance. They will work to get the greatest amount for the least amount of effort. That is common throughout the universe; or the world since we don’t really know how ET would do it.

Think about it for a minute. You want a boat or car or motorcycle. You will give the least amount of effort to achieve your goal. That doesn’t mean you’d give up. It means that if you have to work 3 jobs and that represents little effort for you, that is what you will do. Everyone will do what they feel the effort is “worth.” For me, I would do that if I had the time. I easily put in 50+ hours each week and receive commensurate compensation. In order for me to have what I have, I could have easily gone to college and had an easier life. I didn’t. Myl life and I have to live with it.

That does not mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that I am entitled to drive a 4 wheel drive truck and ride a Harley Davidson and own a 30’ Eliminator boat. It means that my life is not your fault. You have no say in how I live my life and therefor have no stake in it. I should not be able to go to anyone and make you pay for the life I want. Does that sound about right?

The bottom line is that we all should take ownership of our life. We should take the appropriate steps to ensure that we protect ourselves from whatever dangers there are in the world whether real or perceived. We can not and should not expect the world to provide our “pursuit of happiness.” That is for us to do and us alone as individuals. If you want to weigh 400 lbs and be tattooed head to toe, then so be it. But don’t come crying to me when you don’t have the means to provide for yourself.