EH - 91 : Govt. health care

"This is the cancerous proliferation of suffocating laws, regulations, bureaus, and councils. There is no cancer on the presidency as John Dean thought. There is a cancer on society, spread from the federal and state governments. Government is the cancer."

Mike Rozeff pulls no punches today on this Mass. whole power grab. I can vouch for this in other aspects of society - the unpaid bureaucrats on boards include Dr. lenny. But - how can you get the information without being a participant, especially when you have specific expertise in areas of concern. This is the people's voice in the system - the set of 'unpaid bureaucrats' that watch what the government is doing and stand ready to do what we believe is proper.

Boards and Commissions at the local level, whether appointed or elected, are where the debates happen. Non-profits like watershed councils and districts like soil and water conservation districts depend on their unpaid board members to keep the balls rolling for physical improvements in our way of life. Hard to castigate people for playing in the system when it is the only system in town available to play in.

Do we get real knowledge in our fields by being on the board, or do we contribute knowledge to other folks on the board? A resounding yes in both areas. People have to level with you - you can ask direct questions and get direct answers. You can also gather feathers and arrows - but once in, you represent your interests. And since there is no pay - when there is no collusion and just people working toward consensus (which should always be based on informed consent), we might have a workable way out of the ditch without destroying the whole concept of self-governance.

But we cannot appoint/elect self-serving people, nor can we fill our plate with disinterested people. So it becomes a collusion to get as many of the interest bases represented in a way that detracts from none of them. We think Tom Cruise is the only one who deals with mission impossible. But, the motor still runs...

addendum: More insight from Eric Phillips.