Bob Meade — Free... or freedom

By BOB MEADE

We often hear politicians and their followers tell us how becoming more like Socialist countries would be better... fairer, if you will. Senator Sanders advocates for "free" health care for all. He says it is a “right” but I searched the Constitution’s Bill of Rights and could not find it. And, there are many well-meaning people on the left who want our government to be a nanny state, providing not only health care for free, but call for minimum wages to be upped to “living” wages, and for secondary education to also be “free.” Of course, in order to meet those desires they expect that the government will either take control of businesses or write laws directing them on how they are to operate, what they must pay their employees, what benefits they must provide, what they can charge for their goods or services, and limit the profit they may make.

I think it is safe to say that there are millions of people around the world, and here at home, who are upset with government. They’re upset at being ruled by non-elected bureaucrats who are being paid more for their civil service duties than are those who work in similar skill set jobs in the private sector. And, those government bureaucrats are basically “fire-proof” and have far greater working and retirement benefits than do those private section workers.

As Ronald Regan said, “The government is not the solution, government is the problem.”

In trying to put a price on what it would cost for the government to continue to advance its bureaucratic socialist agenda, I took a look at the ten countries with the highest personal income tax rates in the world. They are, from high to low, with their tax rates: Aruba 58.9 percent, Sweden 56.6 percent, Denmark 55.38 percent, Netherlands 52 percent, Belgium 50 percent, Austria 50 percent, Japan 50 percent, United Kingdom 50 percent (income over $234,484), Finland 49.2 percent (income over $87,220), and Ireland 48 percent (over $40,696). Not every one of those countries is fully Socialist, but those that aren’t have very broad Socialist welfare programs similar to what Senator Sanders and his followers want.

The income taxes imposed on citizens in those countries aren’t the only taxes they pay... some are downright frightening. For example, in Denmark a tax of 180 percent (yes, one hundred and eighty percent) is imposed on the price of an automobile. So, if the sticker price of your new car is $25,000, you pay another $45,000 in taxes for a total cost of $70,000 to purchase the auto. And, Denmark also has a value-added tax of 25 percent on other purchases... and, because they want people to use public transportation, a gallon of gasoline runs about $8.70 a gallon. The amount of automobile ownership varies by city. Only 29.1 percent of citizens in Copenhagen own automobiles, but some other towns/cities have auto ownership rates in the teens. Obviously, Denmark doesn’t want its citizens to own and operate automobiles so they impose outrageous taxes in an effort to prevent their use.

It’s not just the taxes the government imposes on people in order to maintain their social/welfare system, it is the fact that the government dictates the limits of your “freedom.” We see the worst part of health care in England’s recent legal decisions concerning the infant, Charley Gard. In that case, the courts denied the parents the right to keep their child on life support and take him to this country to participate in a trial of new medicines that could possibly have allowed him to live. Not only did the courts deny little Charley life and deny his parents hope, the court also ruled that the parents could not even take their child home so they could give him their loving care until he took his last breath. In exerting this type of control over decisions that should rightfully belong to the people, the government takes the “free” out of freedom.

I can attest to the fact that we have a wonderful health care system in this country. We invest heavily in research and our medical schools attract the best and brightest from all over the world. People of substance who live in countries that have nationalized health care, such as Canada, instead of being put on a long term waiting list, often come to this country for treatment. There are actually travel agencies that arrange for such visits and treatments. If our government nationalizes health care, it is we, the people, who will be put on the waiting lists while those of substance do as our northern neighbors do.

As our politicians continue their fight over what to do with the failing “Obamacare,” it seems that on both the left and the right, every decision appears to be a political one. At the heart of the battle is a simple fact... “free” is an illusion. It is used to deny our right to choose as they attempt to take the “free” out of our freedom.

(Bob Meade is a Laconia resident. He may be reached at bobmeade13@gmail.com)