Saturday, January 27, 2018

Will republicans block cures for diseases like COPD?

Your question: With cuts to health care. Current congressional deregulation cuts to the EPA our air quality will be impacted. Plus their desire to dismantle Medicare and Medicaid along with the recent tax cuts, and more cuts to education, research funding will slowly dry up. We must pay attention and remind our Congress, they were elected to serve the people, not to legislate our lives out of existence.

To set the stage, this was a response to my post, "Why is there no cure for COPD?"

My answer. Says who? I'm assuming you're referring to Republicans. So, you actually think Republicans don't want a cure for COPD? You actually think that? You actually think they want poor air quality? I'm a Republican. I support the tax cuts and regulation cuts. And I want a cure for COPD and good air quality.

But, the difference between me and a Democrat is I think people are smart.  I believe in the power of the individual. I believe people, left to their own devices, are far more capable of solving problems than the government.

And I think the facts, and history, support my claim here.

First off, it's not the job of government to solve people's problems anyway, but that's beside the point. It's the role of government to create an economic environment in which we, as individuals, may prosper -- if we so make the effort. When we prosper, we have discretionary income. This is where charitable giving comes from. We, as Americans, are the most giving people in the world.

But, when you take our money from us via taxes. When you create so many regulations that there's no incentive to open businesses. You stifle the economy. You prevent economic growth.

Let me give you a good historical example to make my point. To assume the government has all the answers is to assume the people are too stupid to solve their own problems. You're assuming the people running government knows what the hell they are doing. And, quite frankly, I'm not always so impressed.

If you really want to raise money for investing in cures, the solution is with the people, not the government. Look at the war on poverty as a perfect example. That's been going on for over 40 years now, and there are just as many people in poverty today as when it started -- if not more. So, did the government succeed at solving poverty? How many billions of dollars have gone to anti-poverty programs? Lots. And the government failed to end poverty. So, what makes you think the government can find a cure for COPD?

When you have government solving problems, money gets tied up in loop holes. It gets tied up in the bureaucracy. You might raise a million dollars (or, rather, take it from people through higher taxes), but much of that money is wasted.

You look at any government project, and it takes twice as long and costs twice as much as when private individuals do it. This is because of all the red tape, all the bureaucrats who want a piece of the pie. Plus, it's not their money, so they aren't as careful with it.

You want something done right, you want to truly find a cure for COPD, leave it in the hands of individuals. Let them keep their money. Let them spend it on what they want.

Look at the 1980s as an example. Taxes were cut, regulations slashed, and a record amount of dollars went to charitable giving.

Another great example is Grover Cleveland's veto of the Texas seed bill.

Sure, the government has access to lots of money. But, it's our money, not theirs. And they have a poor track record of accomplishing anything with it. The people actually have a good track record, when they get to keep more of what they make. So, who do you think is more likely to find a cure for any disease?

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