Welcome to BarryCare!

Well, it's nearly November, and already we're enjoying a preview of the joys of life under government-run health care, which will, if passed, be known as ObamaCare. Giving due regard for the current occupant of the Oval Office, it should be known as BarryCare.

Witness the current swine flu (H1N1) outbreak. Now, never mind that every day of every year, an average of 10,000 people get it, and nearly 100 die of it ... oh, wait a minute, that's the regular seasonal flu.

In any case, the swine flu has been much in the news lately, and it's not really necessary to relate the basic facts here.

What we do know is that the government saw this coming months ago (report dated 29 April 2009), announced a major program of vaccination, and yet, fully into the flu season --- particularly in those Petri dishes known as the government schools --- vaccine supplies are severely limited, and apparently not available at all to first-line health providers like family doctors. I'm in Los Angeles, and listen with fascination to radio reports advising people who are not in government-identified "high-risk groups" --- mainly people between 25 and 64 without compromised immune systems --- to stay away from clinics dispensing the vaccine.

Note: Currently, the demand for H1N1 vaccine is outweighing local and national supply. That’s why some Public Health vaccine clinics may reach capacity earlier than expected and need to close earlier than the posted hours. If you are not in an H1N1 Priority Group, please wait to get vaccinated until vaccine supplies increase. More H1N1 vaccine will be available in the next several days and weeks at some chain pharmacies, private health care providers, and community clinics.

So sayeth the LA County Department of Public Health.

The reason for the shortages? Well, there are plenty offered, but it clearly was known two months ago that the flu season would arrive before the vaccine. Even today, five days after President Barry declared a "national emergency" over the flu, the vaccine is mainly unavailable.

It even appears, over the last two weeks, that the Young boys have contracted it (both are doing fine, thanks, though Patrick was required to don a mask before entering the doctor's office), without ever having had a chance to obtain a vaccination!

Which raises the question: Given that the Federal government has well and thoroughly screwed this up this rather mild (at least, in a fairly healthy population), WHY are we still considering a virtual government takeover of our health care system?!?!

The answer is, of course, obvious to anyone who understands the far Lefties currently in charge of our government: the effort is not about improving American health care; it is about enabling government control over the health care system.

If these people were serious about getting more people covered, they would discard coverage mandates (requiring, for instance, people past their child-bearing years to buy plans covering pregnancy), allow insurance companies to charge higher premiums to those previously uninsured (thus creating incentives for coverage in the young and healthy), remove barriers to interstate purchase of insurance, and --- perhaps most importantly --- discard government-run health care altogether (except for the military) and simply turn over to citizens, including the elderly, money to purchase their own insurance.

Don't hold your breath. This most recent example of government incompetence to the contrary notwithstanding.