I went to the minute clinic at Target the other day for a flu shot.<\/p>\n
After I got the shot, I was astounded to see a nurse walk into the room with a bag and a tube.<\/p>\n
And then a doctor, at the head of a small surgery team (anaesthesiologist and a couple of nurses) pushing a surgery cart, all scrubbed in and ready to go.<\/p>\n
And after that, another small team of doctors and nurses carrying an Eskimo cooler.<\/p>\n
And finally \u00a0buxom Swedish woman in low-cut set of white scrubs and white short shorts.<\/p>\n
“Um, what?” I started speaking. \u00a0“All of this for a flu shot?”<\/p>\n
“Oh, heavens no”, said the nurse as she tossed the syringe in a passing child’s backpack. \u00a0“Carrie”, she said, pointing to the nurse with the bag and the tube “is here to give you a colonoscopy. \u00a0And Jeff and his team”, she said, pointing to the surgical crew and their gear as they nodded and smiled under their surgical masks” are here to remove your appendix. \u00a0And Dr. Stavronakis’ team”, she said, pointing at the people with the cooler, who waved back, “are here to transplant you a new liver. \u00a0And Inge is here to give you a massage”. \u00a0Inge grinned.<\/p>\n
“Er…”, I started, “that’s great – but I’m just here for a flu shot. \u00a0I don’t need a colonocopy – not\u00a0just\u00a0<\/em>yet – my appendix and liver are both fine, knock wood, and as to the massage – well…”<\/p>\n “So you believe people don’t need colonocopies, appendectomies, liver transplants and massage?”<\/p>\n “Sure –\u00a0people\u00a0<\/em>do. \u00a0Just not me, at this particular visit, knock wood”. \u00a0I looked at Inge, who was starting to pout a bit. \u00a0“Well, except for…”<\/p>\n The nurse glared at me sternly. \u00a0“Don’t you believe in medicine?”<\/p>\n “Well, sure, but if it’s medicine I don’t need, why do it?”<\/p>\n The nurse sighed an exaggeraged sigh. \u00a0“Oh, whatever. \u00a0That’ll be $400,000”.<\/p>\n “What? \u00a0All I got was a flu shot! You charged me for a colonocopy, an appendectomy, a liver transplant and a massage!”<\/p>\n “Oh, shoot. \u00a0 I’ll fix that. \u00a0But…are you\u00a0sure? \u00a0Because medicine is pretty important…”<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n There are some reasons we have government. \u00a0Defending the country, making and enforcing laws (preferably just the ones we need, although that cow left the barn eighty years ago), enforce contracts – nobody really argues about those.<\/p>\n And there are some other functions that all but the most Libertarian among us can tolerate; I think the Centers for Disease Control is a good investment. \u00a0While Libertarian cases for privatizing infrastructure are tempting, it’s just a matter of fact that they have been mostly government endeavors – and as such, less useless than most others. \u00a0And most people agree that government, in general, should provide some level of support for some<\/em> social safety net – especially for people in temporary, dire need.<\/p>\n And there is no more temporary, more dire need than an epic natural disaster, one that strains private resources (even those not already overstrained by supporting big government) and mangles infrastructure in a wide area. \u00a0Most people agree that the government, in some form, has a place in dealing with huge disasters – coordinating and supporting relief after the fact, and helping with the planning to prevent them by facilitating public and private efforts to mitigate disasters before the fact (see also: virtually every levee, dijk and storm-surge mitigation system ever built).<\/p>\n