Health Care

The only way to solve

the health care dilemma

is to remove all federal

funding of same.

The only exception shall be

Armed Forces hospitals

treating their wounded

or injured members.

Health care will improve,

costs will be reduced,

when states and communities

set standards for providers.

Gone are Medicare,

Medicaid, CHIPS, and

the avatar of inefficiency:

Veterans hospitals.

In their place will be

competition at all levels,

from doctors, clinics,

hospitals, and insurers.

No one will be entitled

to health care, as a

benefit to be paid

from federal taxes.

Even those who are

disabled, on welfare, or

social security, must pay

an appropriate amount.

Most important will be

enhanced recruitment

of doctors, nurses, and

other medical personnel.

Doors will open again

for philanthropy to be

the principal financier

of health care facilities.

Health Care (2)

Apparently, a majority of Americans

favor Universal Health Care, that is

a system that provides insurance

by a Federal agency for health care.

Often labelled single payer insurance,  

the program would eliminate health

insurance from private businesses

and set all criteria for coverage.

Employer contribution to premiums

will cease, offset by wage increases.

A general tax will be instituted to

assure that all people are covered.

Similar to the present Medicare,

repayment rates will be set for

all health care providers, who

must follow approved treatments.

Gradually, the federal government

will own all hospitals and clinics,

as philanthropic support ceases

to finance facilities and improvements.

Probably most health care providers

will become employees of the

government and will no doubt

form unions for collective bargaining.

As health care ceases to be private,

the attraction of practicing medicine

as a career will lead to less quality

in aspirants for medical positions.

In short, the entire sector of

health care in our country will

experience a diminution of

dedication and innovation.

Everyone will be insured, but not

everyone will be treated well, as

they face rigidity in practice and

pressure to control costs.

Libertarian Party

Joined the Libertarian Party, whose platform is similar
to that proposed for the Republic of New England.

Facebook Group

The Facebook page, Republic of New England, has been replaced
by a Facebook group with the same name at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/republicofnewengland/

Small Nations

These questions drive the composition of nations:
What are the limits of size to efficient governing?
Should a country be ethnically homogeneous?
How can new nations be created peacefully?

If there are answers to these questions,
what and where is the available research?
Certainly many learned papers could or should
be devoted to these critical issues.

What should be done about countries
which are ungovernable, like Haiti and Somalia?
Should they continue to be U.N. mandates
or be annexed by other nations?

What about countries that oppress their people,
rob them and starve them, imprison and execute them,
enrich the monsters in charge, yet are allowed
to live on with no substantive improvement.

North Korea, Syria, and Cuba seem to despise
the idea of anyone having a satisfactory life
in their countries, to the point of deliberately
seeking to reduce the number of their citizens.

The Soviet Union was too big to
be effectively governed, now
Russia seeks to emulate the failures
that collapsed its Communist empire.

Iraq is already three nations
masquerading as a single entity
united only by shares in the oil revenues
which they fight vigorously about.

China and India are so huge in population
as to defy efforts to control them,
yet each survives in its own way,
while their smaller neighbors implode.

Israel is a speck no bigger than Rhode Island,
yet it is powerful in technology and innovation
in the middle of a hostile environment and
not a shred of natural resources.

We believe that small is beautiful,
that a nation with a healthy identity
among its citizens, has the best chance
to succeed . . . like Switzerland.

New France

The Republic of New England
has been exchanging messages with
the Republique de la Louisiane
through the Facebook chat medium.

Their page is ostensibly devoted
to the secession of Louisiana
from the U.S.A. to become a
territory of a New France.

The proprietor of the page
apparently is a French Canadian
who envisions a confederation of
French-speaking areas in North America.

He was upset about our invitation
to the maritime provinces of Canada
to join our republic, if orphaned by
the creation of a sovereign Quebec.

He has led us through an
interesting history lesson on
the fate of francophones
after the British conquest.

His plan requires annexing portions
of Maine and New Brunswick
that were part of French Canada and
are still French-speaking.

We see some objections to that
from the governments concerned.
Nevertheless, it is a bold plan
which deserves some consideration.

Inclusion of Louisiana, however,
is puzzling because there are
so few Cajuns left who spoke
only French in their childhood years.

Not to mention ignoring what
the reaction of Bobby Jindal
and the Louisiana legislature
might be to such a proposal.

Also on Facebook is a proposal
to establish a new state in the U.S.A.
to be called, "Acadia," comprising
northern Maine and New Hampshire.

Complicating the mix is the
island archipelago of Miquelon and
St. Pierre, just south of Labrador, which
is a fully functioning territory of France.

Perhaps that might be a base for
organizing the reestablishment of
a New France, fulfilling DeGaulle's
cry of, "Vive Quebec Libre!"

2014 Update

2014 Update

The new Facebook page,
Republic of New England,
has engendered quite a bit of
interesting traffic and comments.

We need to make clear that our
proposal is entirely peaceful,
involving no revolt or resistance,
nor any fund raising at this time.

Our separation from the U.S.A.
is predicated on a collapse of
the federal government, which has
already reached a critical stage.

Congress now has ceased to
pass any progressive legislation
out of fear that the executive branch
will fail to execute its provisions.

In the short term, appropriations
may continue to keep the government
functioning, while heightening the
concern over defaulting the debt.

We are in communication with
many separatist and secessionist
movements, ranging from serious
to fanciful recreations of the past.

A premise is developing that big
governments are too big and risk
collapse when they are out of touch
with the people they purport to serve.

History is full of examples of empires
that reached their expiration date.
We fear that the land of the free and
the home of the brave no longer exists.

More of the important events
of our lives are tightly regulated
while dependence on taxpayer
largesse becomes the norm.