oy. election year is on the rise.

i tend to listen to talk radio when i drive. i get local and national news with the conservative perspective i prefer. today, i was listening to a guy talk about john edward's campaign - how he wants a nationalized health care plan with mandatory yearly checkups and mandatory mammograms for women. i understand breast cancer prevention is an important cause due to his wife's struggle, but her plight shouldn't spawn national policy.

yep, i get my mams grammed every year. i have since i was in my early thirties, as my mom died of breast cancer. but should i be forced by my government to do so? i don't think so. should women w/o insurance be given free mammograms? sure, but why should the government force every female to go get squished? how will they enforce it? give me a ticket? send the boob squad to my door?

okay, now let's focus on the national required health checks. here's how i see this playing out. in the long run, the government will force the mentally ill into asylums because it's more efficient and cost effective to lump the nuts in one house. the elderly and infirm will be euthanized because it's "humane" and the dollars can be better spent on other, more viable, productive citizens.

i know i've taken this to the far extreme with my few far out examples, but these rudimentary scenarios give a glimpse into why i disagree with a nationalized health program. there may be good national programs out there, but i prefer what i've got.

p.s. i grew up in a family who did not have health insurance. did i feel deprived or part of the nation's lost souls? nope. going out and getting an education in order to snag a job with benefits was great incentive. but that's just me.

props to sam for some stellar stealth editing. thanks, bud.