Do you Hate Obama?

Resource Allocation Committees (Death Panels)

Imagine an 85 year old man with a condition that will prove fatal unless he has an operation that will cost $585,000.

Imagine 10 children under 18 with accidental injuries to the eyes who will lose their sight in both eyes unless they get operations costing $58,500 for each child.

The bad evil Death Panel is the group of Administrators, Physicians, Faculty, and Ethicists who “Play God” by letting the 85 year old die of their malady, and giving the operations to the 10 children to save their eyesight.

Well, “You made up that example”

Yes, you’re right I did, and it was to make a point.

Well, “Why not do both, save the old man and save the kids eyesight?”

So, is there an infinite amount of money in the Obama-Care program?

No, it’s on a budget like the other 8363 Federal Programs.

Well, now if it’s on a budget, that means not everybody can get all of everything right?

I suppose so.

So choices have to be made, right?

Your mean rationing?

If you want to call it that, yes, rationing.

So you’re going to let a “death panel” play God?

God plays God actually, the “death panel” just allocates funds. Would it be better if it were done by one person instead of a panel?

No

How about a panel of people pulled in from the street as they were walking by, or pulled out of the telephone book, would that be better?

No, they would have little or no basis upon which to make rational and informed decisions.

So then, the death panel composed mainly of healthcare professionals and ethicists is best?

Oh well, OK, maybe so.

[Note: Our problem in America is the Rooseveltian Split -- we always want to have all of everything -- but we can only afford to pay for some of something.]

The most objectionable part of Obama-Care is the intent to commit Larceny, Conversion, Embezzlement, Fraud, and Breach of Trust — Five Federal Felonies by stealing $400 Billion out of the Medicare Trust Fund that beneficiaries worked their whole lives to put in there by payment of their FICA taxes.

That is a horrible crime of gross moral turpitude. It is a crime against justice, reason, and the working man. I would rather see Obama burn down the White House than see him steal the Medicare Trust Fund to pay for his Obama-Care scheme.

This whole piece of junk legislation is headed for the dumpster, so I hope I don’t have to worry about either the death panels or the Medicare embezzlement, but if somehow some part of it gets enacted into law, the death panels are at least arguably sane, ethical, and rational, unlike the larceny of the Medicare Trust Fund.
52 minutes ago – 4 days left to answer.

Whether a decision making group is called a “death panel” or not, the structural need to make rationing choices abides when the funds available are limited and the demand for healthcare in unlimited. The name “death panel” is not the focus of my argument. The functional requirement of making cash allocation choices is key — call it what you will — the “Resource Allocation Committee” fine OK, let’s call it that instead of Death Panels.