The Free Lunch Election

 Remember when your mamma told you that there was “No Free Lunch”?  And… “You get what you pay for” and all those other very logical believable platitudes?  Well, I am here to tell you your mamma was wrong!  In America there is a free lunch and Al Gore is setting the table for America to come to his “Free Lunch” election.

 Down deep your Mamma (and Daddy) know the truth.  If they have been on Social Security, they know that the biggest part of that monthly check is a part of America’s Free Lunch!.  If they have been retired for 3 or 4 years they  have got all they put into the system back and are now enjoying a great free lunch! 

Let’s examine Mr. Gore’s smorgasbord of free lunches, all from his acceptance speech.

 He is going to fight for a “targeted”, “affordable” tax cut.  Read, if you act the way we want, we will give some of your money back… Free Lunch, but only if you play my game.

 I will fight for a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.  Who will pay?  The one’s benefiting? Nope!  Another Free Lunch.

 I will fight for affordable health care.  By affordable, he doesn’t mean that healthcare will come down in cost, he  means that someone else will pick up part of the costs…. Free Lunch.

 He has compassion for a child who suffered from a medical mistake during childbirth and now needs full-time nursing.  He is going to “fight” the HMO’s to make them pay!!! Sure! Like they get their money from the tooth fairy! Yep, another Free Lunch.  (Just an aside, I wonder where the compassion is for the child who suffers and death at childbirth with partial birth abortion?)

 He will fight for a patient’s bill of rights.  Rights cost, whether is the rights won by our forefathers is a tough battle with England and now guaranteed by the constitution or rights promised in a political campaign. Political promises of new rights seem to cost money!   Who will pay, not the one getting the right, unless he is rich and is one of the special few who pay most of the taxes.  More Free Lunches for more people. 

“We also have to give middle-class families help in paying for college….  Free Lunch!

I’ll fight for tax cuts that go to the right people… He seems to know just who those “right” people are.  It doesn’t happen to be the people that pay most of the taxes!  If you are on his list, another Free Lunch.

 I will raise the minimum wage…. More money for the same work?  Sounds like a free lunch to me!

 We will expand child care and after-school care.  Sounds like “affordable” baby sitters to me.  Free Lunch.  But he goes even further… Universal pre-school for all.  Sounds like an extra year of free day care to me.  Free Lunch. 

Another 50,000 new police… Free Lunch!

He is going to fight to allow a parent to decide to stay home with a newborn.  Like they don’t have this right already???  They want the right to stay home from work and somebody else to pay! 

This along with all the other mixed up, confused thinking add up to a very scary year for “The Rich”.  They now pay most of the taxes now…. They will pay even more! 

If you are rich, work for or run “Big Oil”, “Big Tobacco”, “Big Pharmaceuticals”, are a “Big Polluter” or an HMO (apparently big or small)… look out.  He is not going to be the President for you, er, well, unless you can make a campaign contribution!  Another aside, just where is the line of acceptability, how big is big.  At what level do they become evil?

He goes on to note that we are in a period of incredible medical breakthroughs… but it is wrong for seniors to choose between lunch and prescription drugs when the drug companies are enjoying record profits.  Question  Would it be ok for seniors to have to make that decision if the drug companies are not enjoying record profits?  These incredible breakthroughs come from the evil drug companies.  Just keep making huge advances… and do so without profits!!!     

This feeds on the insidious trend in our country where there really are free lunches for some.  Many people feel that they are deserving of other peoples money, expertise and effort.  As more and more “free lunches” are added to our diet, the costs grows, somebody pays.  It will be in higher costs for goods, in higher taxes (for some) and less freedom for everyone.  By cashing in politically on this bias we foster an attitude of “something for nothing” or with any luck someone else will pay.

 So step right up to the free lunch table.  Partake, enjoy and by the way, vote the right way!