This is where the rubber meets the road. Ultimately, We the People will bear the cost of emergency and nursing care for the elderly indigent. Why not reduce costs by spending money on prevention instead? Even this fiscally responsable approach escapes the libertarian Republican Senator Rand Paul.
The the libertarian myopia is evident in this exchange between Paul and Senators Bernie Sanders and Al Franken. Paul mocks Sanders and Franken by saying, “It’s curious that only in Washington can you spend two billion dollars and claim you are spending money.” I scratch my head and wonder why Paul doesn’t see that indeed this does save money by reducing costs on the back end. It’s one or the other, not both.
The fiscal issues aside, Sanders makes the better argument that We the People have a moral obligation to each other. What kind of cruel people allow our elderly to wither in hunger and sickness. Private charities can’t consistently meet their needs. We get the government we deserve. If only we had 70 more Sanderses and Frankens in the Senate.
