In Democracy, the politicians will rob a minority to give to the majoirity, so they can get votes. Thus it became socialism.

Pretty soon, the rich class disappears. Then socialism becomes Communism. Notice the difference between socialism and communism. In the former, people ask the government for everything. In the latter, the government has nothing to give, and asks for people to make sacrifice constantly (e.g., USSR, China, Cuba, North Korea.)

I am 62 now. I hope in my life time I will not have to stand in the bread line. I have some savings. But I expect it to be worth much less given the way the Fed prints money.

The whole financial melt down is a conspiracy. Wall Street elites are not Republicans. They are...

Our current insurance system gives people no incentive to be healthy. I have been on my company's health insurance for 30 years. I almost never see a doctor except for the annual physical exam. But many people I know abuse their health. Yet they pay the same premium as I. They have no incentive to cut down the cost, since there are people like me to share the cost with them.

Our auto insurance charges permium based on people's driving record. If an insurance does not calculate premium based on risks, what kind of insurance is it?

Why is our health insurance so costly? Because there are too many claims. One-third of Americans are obese. They have tons of illness, and generate a lot of medical bills. Can you imagine how...

It is true that Japan has good health care. But look at the way Japanese live. They have such a lean diet (I often say their dishes don't even require soap to wash after a meal). And they do a lot of uphill walking due to their hilly terrain. Their longevity is the cause, rather than the consequence, of their good national health care.

Taiwan started national health care not long ago. But it does not pay for everything. If you want better doctor, hospital, or medication, you need to pay extra.

And both Taiwan and Japan are struggling with the ever-growing cost of health care. Actually, every country in this world with national health care is doing the same thing. It's unavoidable.

Medicare in a way is a national...

Thank you Dr. Sowell for this article. I have been thinking about this for 30 years. Now I finally heard a similar opinion.

The left specialize in finding excuses. They say the poor cannot afford healthy food, or gym membership, and don't live in safe neighborhoods while allow them to walk.

Contrary to general belief, healthy food costs less. I buy lots of fresh produce and no packages, drinks, or junk food. For my husband and me, my grocery bill is under $70 a week, and we even have almonds, baked chicken, salmon and asparagus.

I am lucky to live in a 50,000 people town with a city-owned gym which has very reasonable membership fees. For those without my luck, I heard you can buy a space saving stair master...

That's the idea of my husband's grandma, born in 1901, with 5th grade education. I don't blame her. She did not know the government has no money of its own, and must collect money from the tax payers.

Today many people think the same. They want to government to pay for health care and education. So they can spend their money on fun stuff, e.g., food, drink, entertainment. They even want the government to write off their home mortgage. And the government did give them $4500 each to buy new cars.

I don't mind paying higher taxes to fund free clinics for the poor. But the idea that health care is an entitlement bothers me. Health is not something money can buy. It is acquired with hard work. Being poor is no excuse to live...

I read his article back and forth. Everything sounds so true. So reasonable. I couldn't believe that he offended the liberals. Didn't they love him in the past? Then I realized it is because he mentioned self responsibilty, and that health care is not our basic right.

Any time you mention self responsibility, liberals will lash as you. They are Marxists. They believe everything they want should be provided by the rich.

Why does health care insurance cost so much? Did liberal know it is because there are too many claims? They blame everything on the insurance companies, and they want the government to run health insurance. Has not the government already screwed up Medidare, Medicaid and Social Security? Why would anyone...

Wonderful article. How many people are willing to accept this truth?

In 2006, my husband and I both needed our first colonoscopy. We decided that he get it first so we could know the cost. Well. His bills summed up to $3500. Shocked and furious, I called around to find another doctor. I went to a bigger town 30 miles away and got my colonoscopy for $2000. The difference is my procedure was done in a clinic, rather than a hospital.

When I tell my friends about this, the response I hear is always, 'Why should you care? Your copay is only 20%.' True. 20% of the difference of $1500 is $300. An amount I can certainly afford without problem.

But this is exactly why health care costs so much. No one cares about the...