Happy tax day everyone. Enjoy your tax rates now, because things are going to change. That being said, let's continue. In a previous post entitled Welcome To Europe I explained the world view of the Obama Administration and many of its supporters. Lefties relish the idea of a weakened America, because their worldview is one in which there is no exceptionalism. Everyone is equal, except of them of course, "because all animals are created equal, but some are created more equal than others." I'm not sure that many on the left, especially the young people really know what is in store for them as we adopt Western European style Socialism. Socialism can not survive without it being a parasite attached to Capitalism, and eventually you are going to "run out of other peoples' money." Let me explain things to the spoiled rotten youth and other lefties, what's in store for them in plain English. I guarantee that this is not going to be the "Hope and Change" that you sanctimonious morons voted for.
First of all, you claim that health care is a right. It's not, but I'll agree that health care is very expensive and there is always the risk that some catastrophic health incident could wipe out your life savings if you don't have health insurance. I remember the days when most people had what was called catastrophic care and hospitalization insurance or as it was called, Major Medical. For some reason routine medical care was affordable when you had to pay for it out of your own pocket. When I was a kid, if you went to the doctor a routine office visit was $10 and a house call was $15. In today's dollars, that would amount to about $60 and $80 respectively. Not real cheap, but affordable for most people. For the poor, charities were more than willing to help out. Doctors also didn't run a gazillion tests in order to cover their butts against a lawsuit. Now that 88% of the population has health insurance, routine medical care is expensive. How come? Maybe because doctors have to practice defensive medicine? Maybe because of low life scum of the earth trial lawyers? Maybe because somebody else is paying for it?
OK you putzes on the left. You got pretty much what you wanted in regards to socialized (socialist) medicine. Now the fun starts. Things are going to get real interesting. All you young pie in the sky idiots are now going to have to purchase health insurance or pay a fine and risk going to jail, and it's going to cost you a lot more money than you are going to want. Hey Obama Zombies, your carefree, hipster, arrogant, Narcissistic lifestyle is going to change. Say good-bye to the new car, IPhone, and spending your nights in trendy clubs and restaurants. Say hello to canned ravioli and Hamburger Helper, just like when you were in college; I guess that means that many of you will have to have roommates too just like you did when you lived in the student ghettos. You never thought that your standard of living would be this low after you were "promised" how great your life would become with your college degree and your information age job. Of course, you can always continue to live in Mom's basement. I'm sure that's not what you expected when you voted for your Messiah. Your utopia is about to blow up in your face, and guess what? I can't wait until life rubs your nose in it big time. It's going to be wonderful watching you go bonkers when you know what finally hits the fan.
Here's how medical care really does exist in your glorious Socialist countries like the Socialist "paradises" of Western Europe with their 20% unemployment rates and prices that are on an average 30% higher than they are here in the States. I actually have first hand information from an expatriate American living in Austria about how the medical black market works over there. My financial planner attorney has a similar story. He has a daughter that lives in Europe. She's highly educated with a PhD, and makes a great salary, like most highly educated professionals who live in Europe, unlike the less educated lower middle class who exist barely above what would be considered the poverty line here in America. She's one of the fortunate ones. Here's how "Government Provided Health Care" works in Europe. You are sick and you call the doctor's office in the morning to get an appointment. You are told that there are no appointments for a month, and to go to the emergency room if need be. You know that the wait at the emergency room will be at least 10 to 12 hours or more, so you tell the receptionist, "How about if I pay cash?" She says, "Come right in." You go in, pay the doctor's fee in cash, no checks, no credit card, no receipt, and you are seen right away. There is always a huge black market and underground economy under Socialism. Health care falls under the same black market. If you have the means, you pay cash for it. If you don't, you stand in line with the rest of the "little people." Even if it's illegal to have private health care the government looks the other way, because those with influence are not going to stand in line. It's wink wink wink and pretend it doesn't exist. That hippies is socialized medicine. It's like during Prohibition, my grandfather, who made his own wine and liquor in the basement, didn't have to worry about being busted, because the Mayor and Chief of Police used to stop by periodically and have "coffee" out on the porch.
Next let's talk about education. You all want taxpayer funded college degrees. You figure that that way you won't have to be one of the "little people," that you despise and want to control for your own prurient interests. You are fully aware that in the Socialist countries of Western Europe, those with the highest levels of education reap the highest middle class financial rewards. That's built into the command and control economic regulations. Prices and salaries are all based on what the government dictates, and salaries, including small business owner salaries are all controlled by government regulation. However, so is access to higher education. Most of you wouldn't be allowed to go to college. You are not smart enough. Throughout most of Europe, higher education is rationed by the government, because it's heavily subsidized by the government. At the end of your second year in high school, you take very difficult comprehensive exams. If you don't test well, tough shit. Only a certain percentage of the students, nationwide are allowed to go on to the last two years of high school, to prepare them for college. The rest go into trade apprenticeships. They get to be the tradesmen that live in the small apartments above their shops. For the rest of them, at the end of those two years, they are tested again, and only a certain percentage of those students go on to college. The rest then go into white collar trade apprenticeships, so they can find positions working for those that actually do go on to college...and live in little apartments above some shop in a downtown area. If say 10% are accepted into the last two years of high school, and then 10% of that 10% actually go on to college, that leaves out quite a few of you spoiled brats. That means that about 1% of the high school graduates will go on to college. Most of you will be doing some kind of manual labor job, if you can find one, and you'll be living in a little apartment above some shop, unable to afford a car, and buying your clothes second hand. Oh gee, that's the lifestyle of the urban lower middle class and welfare recipients that you look down upon with scorn and pity...in that order.
This brings us to housing. What is the average square footage of the typical American working class and lower middle class home? 1200-1500 square feet, give or take a little. Upper middle class? 2500-3000 square feet. How about in Europe? Lower middle class 600 square feet. Upper middle class 1200-1500 square feet, about the size you will find in the old blue collar neighborhoods in the inner ring suburbs surrounding our cities. Then you've got the utilities on top of that, and they are very expensive in Europe. Central air conditioning is almost unheard of, except among the wealthy. Remember all those old people in Paris that died roasting in their apartments, while their family members were spending their August vacation time cooling off at the beach? In the winter I hope you enjoy wearing sweaters and long johns 24/7, because you are going to set your thermostats at 65 degrees...Not because you are environmentally savvy despite what you claim in order to show the world that you care and alleviate your guilt, but because you can't afford to set your thermostat at a comfortable 70 degrees. Energy is too expensive, except for the wealthy.
How about automobiles? Yes, I know, look at all those enlightened Europeans riding bicycles and taking public transportation to work. Did it ever penetrate your brainwashed thick skulls that maybe the reason a fair amount of Europeans don't drive is because they can't afford to? Every time I've been to Europe I've noticed that only those from a certain income bracket and above drive cars. Most people can not afford to, so they are stuck taking public transportation, riding a bike, or walking. Unless you make the equivalent of $100,000 or more per year, you are not going to be able to afford gasoline at $8 per gallon on a regular basis. You are going to take the bus, trolley or train. If it's only a couple of miles, you'll ride a bicycle, because pedal power is cheaper than bus power. Yes, the public transportation resources in Europe are a wonderful thing. I enjoy using them every time I'm there. Keep in mind a couple of things: First of all, when private transportation costs are too expensive for the masses, efficient and cheap, due to subsidies, public transportation has to be provided in order to prevent a revolt. Secondly, people need to get to work in order to keep the engine running. Third, European style public transportation would be hard to put into place here in America, because we are not as compact as they are. There is just too much space between urban areas, and we have a huge expansiveness of outer ring suburbs and/or exurbs. America's infrastructure developed around the automobile instead of the train, because the middle class wanted a single family home with a yard. While personally I would love to see better, cheaper, and more efficient public transportation here in the States, I can't stand sitting in traffic jams, I don't think that massive expansions of our public transportation systems are going to be realized in my lifetime. If you try to force the average middle class individuals out of there homes and cars, things are going to get ugly real fast.
So there you have it hippies. This is the remaking of America into your vision of Utopia. Unfortunately for you, most of you won't get to realize the American Dream now that the Socialists are in charge. As for me, I'm one of the lucky ones. I have my little piece of the American Dream that I earned through working hard to develop competent musical skills, "selling out" for the security of a military band position that I held for 26 years, and my continuation of working hard as a freelance musician, coupled with the earned benefit of a military pension as a base to work off of. I know you feel that it's not fair that I have those benefits and you don't. Let me ask you a question: How many of you spoiled adult children with your "problems with authority" would be willing to go down the same path? The problem is, you are not willing. You want everything handed to you on a silver platter. Also, I know that the majority of you wouldn't survive one day in boot camp. You'd be crying for your mommies. By the way, your mommies and daddies aren't allowed to be helicopter parents when you are in the military. It's not like college. If you want to live like a European, go to Europe and leave America to those that are willing to work hard to achieve the American Dream. You can take your Socialism and shove it.
Next let's talk about education. You all want taxpayer funded college degrees. You figure that that way you won't have to be one of the "little people," that you despise and want to control for your own prurient interests. You are fully aware that in the Socialist countries of Western Europe, those with the highest levels of education reap the highest middle class financial rewards. That's built into the command and control economic regulations. Prices and salaries are all based on what the government dictates, and salaries, including small business owner salaries are all controlled by government regulation. However, so is access to higher education. Most of you wouldn't be allowed to go to college. You are not smart enough. Throughout most of Europe, higher education is rationed by the government, because it's heavily subsidized by the government. At the end of your second year in high school, you take very difficult comprehensive exams. If you don't test well, tough shit. Only a certain percentage of the students, nationwide are allowed to go on to the last two years of high school, to prepare them for college. The rest go into trade apprenticeships. They get to be the tradesmen that live in the small apartments above their shops. For the rest of them, at the end of those two years, they are tested again, and only a certain percentage of those students go on to college. The rest then go into white collar trade apprenticeships, so they can find positions working for those that actually do go on to college...and live in little apartments above some shop in a downtown area. If say 10% are accepted into the last two years of high school, and then 10% of that 10% actually go on to college, that leaves out quite a few of you spoiled brats. That means that about 1% of the high school graduates will go on to college. Most of you will be doing some kind of manual labor job, if you can find one, and you'll be living in a little apartment above some shop, unable to afford a car, and buying your clothes second hand. Oh gee, that's the lifestyle of the urban lower middle class and welfare recipients that you look down upon with scorn and pity...in that order.
This brings us to housing. What is the average square footage of the typical American working class and lower middle class home? 1200-1500 square feet, give or take a little. Upper middle class? 2500-3000 square feet. How about in Europe? Lower middle class 600 square feet. Upper middle class 1200-1500 square feet, about the size you will find in the old blue collar neighborhoods in the inner ring suburbs surrounding our cities. Then you've got the utilities on top of that, and they are very expensive in Europe. Central air conditioning is almost unheard of, except among the wealthy. Remember all those old people in Paris that died roasting in their apartments, while their family members were spending their August vacation time cooling off at the beach? In the winter I hope you enjoy wearing sweaters and long johns 24/7, because you are going to set your thermostats at 65 degrees...Not because you are environmentally savvy despite what you claim in order to show the world that you care and alleviate your guilt, but because you can't afford to set your thermostat at a comfortable 70 degrees. Energy is too expensive, except for the wealthy.
How about automobiles? Yes, I know, look at all those enlightened Europeans riding bicycles and taking public transportation to work. Did it ever penetrate your brainwashed thick skulls that maybe the reason a fair amount of Europeans don't drive is because they can't afford to? Every time I've been to Europe I've noticed that only those from a certain income bracket and above drive cars. Most people can not afford to, so they are stuck taking public transportation, riding a bike, or walking. Unless you make the equivalent of $100,000 or more per year, you are not going to be able to afford gasoline at $8 per gallon on a regular basis. You are going to take the bus, trolley or train. If it's only a couple of miles, you'll ride a bicycle, because pedal power is cheaper than bus power. Yes, the public transportation resources in Europe are a wonderful thing. I enjoy using them every time I'm there. Keep in mind a couple of things: First of all, when private transportation costs are too expensive for the masses, efficient and cheap, due to subsidies, public transportation has to be provided in order to prevent a revolt. Secondly, people need to get to work in order to keep the engine running. Third, European style public transportation would be hard to put into place here in America, because we are not as compact as they are. There is just too much space between urban areas, and we have a huge expansiveness of outer ring suburbs and/or exurbs. America's infrastructure developed around the automobile instead of the train, because the middle class wanted a single family home with a yard. While personally I would love to see better, cheaper, and more efficient public transportation here in the States, I can't stand sitting in traffic jams, I don't think that massive expansions of our public transportation systems are going to be realized in my lifetime. If you try to force the average middle class individuals out of there homes and cars, things are going to get ugly real fast.
So there you have it hippies. This is the remaking of America into your vision of Utopia. Unfortunately for you, most of you won't get to realize the American Dream now that the Socialists are in charge. As for me, I'm one of the lucky ones. I have my little piece of the American Dream that I earned through working hard to develop competent musical skills, "selling out" for the security of a military band position that I held for 26 years, and my continuation of working hard as a freelance musician, coupled with the earned benefit of a military pension as a base to work off of. I know you feel that it's not fair that I have those benefits and you don't. Let me ask you a question: How many of you spoiled adult children with your "problems with authority" would be willing to go down the same path? The problem is, you are not willing. You want everything handed to you on a silver platter. Also, I know that the majority of you wouldn't survive one day in boot camp. You'd be crying for your mommies. By the way, your mommies and daddies aren't allowed to be helicopter parents when you are in the military. It's not like college. If you want to live like a European, go to Europe and leave America to those that are willing to work hard to achieve the American Dream. You can take your Socialism and shove it.
