Senior citizens milk the federal government for more than $27,000 annually, USA Today reports. Yet, the newspaper insists that this isn't about government overspending, but rising health-care costs, ostensibly oblivious to the former resulting in the latter. Liberals, and so-called big-government conservatives, credit themselves with solving a problem by subsidizing a basic human need. The providers of that need, benefitting from the subsidy and realizing their customers can now afford to pay more, charge more. Then, liberals and big-government conservatives, never learning from their first error, repeat the process. The inflationary effect has followed Medicare and Medicaid, the Higher Education Act of 1965, and, now, President Bush's prescription-drug giveaway, which, usurprisingly, accounts for a quarter of the growth since 2000 in Medicare, the program accounting for the largest spike in federal money to seniors. "We have a health care crisis," the paper quotes the AARP's David Certner. "We don't have an entitlement crisis." We have both.

This Government needs an enema!

"Liberals, and so-called big-government conservatives, credit themselves with solving a problem by subsidizing a basic human need. The providers of that need, benefitting from the subsidy and realizing their customers can now afford to pay more, charge more. Then, liberals and big-government conservatives, never learning from their first error, repeat the process."

This is an excellent, brief description of the problem. I heard on the radio the other day that the 'mark-up' at hospitals is 400-500%. For example, the bills that we got and passed on to the insurance company when my daughter was born were obscene (the cost for a baby to stay in the nursury for a single night would blow your mind). I thought insurance companies were shameless (and they are), but medical facilities and practicioners are just as shameless (if not more so).

Did you know you are on wikipedia? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_J._Flynn