Do you want your health care run like the DMV?
Well the last couple times I went to the DMV I was pretty impressed, along with some other things
So one of those complaints that I've been hearing a lot has been that government health care will be analogous to the DMV as pointed out by Ron Paul
government bureaucrats will be making health decisions. You know, the ones who provide that great service at the DMV, and keep costs down at the Pentagon. The only thing the "public" will get is the bill, which will be collected under threat of imprisonment as taxes.
Well I have a couple things to say about this, regarding my last couple trips to the DMV here in the Twin Cities. The first time was a little while after I moved here, and went to go get my official Minnesota drivers license. It was the St. Paul Midway DMV location which it is very safe to say is not the "rich suburbs", but it went pretty smoothly, took my tests, waited a reasonable amount of time given the number of people there (perhaps 10 to 15 min with about 20 people in the building all there for something). The clerk who I dealt with was efficient and in a good mood, and I talked with one of the women who was handling my paperwork and she was very nice.
The next time was after I changed apartments and moved out to the "rich suburbs", well no, just right outside of the they city, but I had to go get my address changed on my license. This time it was at the suburban DMV (Ridgedale) and not too much to say really, except that I had to wait there for a whole minute, and then spend another at the counter. I didn't even have time really to sit down, so really not too much to say about this experience. My final and most recent experience here at the Minnesota DMV was when I was getting my marriage license (again at the suburban location) and there we had to wait about 5 min and the clerk that helped us out was actually pretty funny and I actually have to say I had a good time at the DMV.
So in conclusion if my health care was run like the DMV what would happen? Well I would not wait more then a reasonable amount of time at all, and I would get courteous service with a smile.
So now what else does that government do that they suck at sooooo much?
The FDIC? Nope, I'll keep my money in banks insured by them, and I doubt anybody (right wing or left) would do otherwise. A+
911? No not Sept 11, but the emergency number. Last time I called...uhh it worked. Have not heard any complaints. A+
Air Traffic Control? Well there was that one New York thing, but not sure if tourist helicopters and such are under their watch? Honestly I don't know but I'd give them an A+ for the job they do, even after the whole Reagan thing.
Patent Office? I bet all those American entrepreneurs would love to see the government get their hands off protecting their ideas. Again never heard a compliant. A
Libraries? Enough said A+
NOAA? The government provides weather forecasts just as accurate as the private weather channel, and they both exist harmoniously, what a novel concept. A
FDA? I'm confident that when I buy asprin it is actually asprin. Thank you FDA. A
Public Water? Tastes good and is essentially free. Now if people would just stop wasting it.... A+
Sewage Treatment? When I take a shit, I have no idea where it goes but some government institution must be doing something right. (Ok yes sometimes because of poor planning 150 years ago storm sewers are mixed with waste and a huge dumping of rain will overwhelm the system, but we're getting away from that) A
Police? They correctly note when I am speeding, and bring people to justice. I'll give em a B since sometimes you have the "dirty cop"
Fire Dept? Enough said A+
FCC? Well they make sure that Rush stays within his allotted frequency and does not use his money to buy up the whole spectrum, but yet we no longer have News. C
Public Radio/TV? Informative, entertaining, even tries to pay for itself. A+
National Park Service? Thank you Republicans. A+
Post Office? Considering what they do (Seriously it's the best value for $.47 you can buy aside maybe from water from your local government), and what they could charge if they really wanted to (which would result in them showing a massive profit) A
OSHA? I've worked for some companies that have had some pretty shady practices, but do what you can with your funding. D.
Street Lights? I may curse them when they turn red, but they seem pretty reliable to me. A+
FBI, CIA, NSA, Military? Best in the world from what a lot of people say, but pretty expensive. Perhaps we can pay for the best health care in the world with their money and we'd still have the best Military etc. in the world. B for the cost.
Social Security? They keep making on time payments despite having their coffers robbed by congress. A+
....and Medicare? I have no experience with it, but all these right wingers seem like like it and don't want the government messing with it. A