Tax me, I am Canadian. I did not make up that catchy statement, I simply borrowed it because I could not put it better myself. We have been brainwashed into believing that our health care plan is a sacred cow. You speak against it at your peril. The truth is that our system is nothing more than a union monopoly.
Unions can bring the government to its knees by such tactics as letting waiting lists get longer. As a result, the cost has spiraled to unaffordable levels.
It is a badly held secret that several premiers have been looking for ways to circumvent the laws as much as they dare with small private contracts. They have to do something because their backs are against the wall.
I am not a fan of the privatization but unions are not public either. Greed is greed regardless of its source. In other situations, the government is expected to put contracts out to tender. Why should health care be any different? There is no reason why a private company should be denied a contract if it can deliver a better service at a lower cost.
Now for politics, Jack Layton has set himself up as the champion of health care. He will go to the wall to defend the union monopoly. That is no surprise. He is the leader of the union party. He proposes to throw more money at a system that is not working. He is not part of the solution. He is the problem.
What amazes me is that many of us are applauding him, saying “Tax me, I am Canadian.”
Gerry Lepine
Summerland