Truth about the numbers
Monday, November 05, 2007
There are truths in this world that will always remain true.

Truth 1, a liberal whether in government or in the Drive By Media has never met a tax hike or an entitlement program that they did not like.

Truth 2, every time that there is an entitlement program approved by Congress, John Q. Citizen loses a little more of his freedom. Every time that an entitlement program is passed we lose more of our income to the government. This is what they fondly call redistribution of wealth. From those who work to those who do not.

For months we have been inundated with the plight of the 47 million uninsured. This number was taken from the 2007 census and the scope of the uninsured was never delved into nor did the census attempt to identify the reason for the lack of insurance by those families or individuals who claimed they had none. The following figures were taken from the 2007 census:

8, 566,600. This group was from the 18- to 24-year-olds. This group of people is probably very ambivalent concerning their need for insurance.

10,412,000. These groups were from the 25- to 44-year-olds. Many of these people fall into the self 8,090,000 employed who feel it is more feasible to take care of their own medical needs than to invest in an overpriced medical policy. Many also feel that they would rather have expensive cell phones and home entertainment systems.

Also included in the 47 million are 9,487,000 individuals who are not U.S. citizens and that includes illegal aliens. People who have no right to be here are included in this statistic.

Also in the 47 million are included 17,487,000 who have incomes above $50,000 a year. It would seem that these should be able to afford medical coverage for their families. For those who claim they cannot afford insurance, how many have expensive cell phones for everyone in the family, how many have HDTV systems and have cable systems? How many have computers and Internet services? How many spend $15 to $20 a week on cigarettes or purchase their daily six packs? Here again these items are all entitlements, so someone else should pay the bill.

The 47 million is a myth perpetuated by the same people who want to enforce the policy of redistribution of wealth. Don't buy into it. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's but no more than that.

Stuart Beardslee
Escatawpa, MS
http://www.gulflive.com/opinion/mississ ... 236100.xml