When it became apparent that our feckless, er, ah, “representatives” in Congress weren’t going to have the cojones to do what they promised to do, the best that was going to come out of the Washington sausage factory was something well short of Repeal and Replace. Between bogus CBO pronouncements, proclamations of dead people lying in the streets, and turncoat Republicans (yeah, I’m talking to you John Kasich) using Liberal talking points to sell the idea of expanded entitlements, the outcome was nothing less than optimal.

As senators crafted a “skinny” (read; anorexic) reform bill, the very best outcome was for the vast bulk of ObamaCare to live on in infamy, with Republicans now having a hand in its all-too certain collapsed future.

Republicans erred from the jump. We made the mistake of arguing against ObamaCare. ObamaCare, for all intents and purpose, is dead. We are at the proverbial healthcare fork in the road. The path ahead isn’t ObamaCare versus some semblance of a Free Market system. The choices are; Single Payer (Socialism) versus the Free Market.

Bernie Sanders announced last week that he’s; “absolutely introducing a Single Payer Healthcare Bill.”     

Good. Let’s have that debate.

Here’s where it gets tricky though, for Republicans (as we always seem to get sucked into the wrong side of an emotional debate). Democrats, led by Bernie will appeal to the virtuousness of Single Payer (as a right), while asserting that there is no cost, or better yet, a shifted cost for its provision. The “evil rich” will pay for it. As other Democrat-led initiatives, there is never a shortage of “other people’s money” to advance their Progressive agenda. Republicans have tried to walk this tightrope, only to find themselves out-Santa-Claused (see: California).

We should engage this debate (Socialism vs Free Market), but on our terms.

You want Single Payer, Mr./Mrs. Citizen? Fine. How does 10% of your (across-the-board) Income sound?

• Do you smoke/drink? Add 5%.
• Are you fat? Add another 5%.
• Are you confused about your gender? Add 5%.
• Do you want to have multiple kids, out of wedlock? Add 5%

The Progressive Tax system in America has done a fantastic job (for progressives) of enabling the gradual expansion of state services to the masses, paid for by “other people.” This makes it real easy to appeal to the masses (for votes), in exchange for the redistribution of government largesse.

We (Republicans) will be at a major disadvantage in the next healthcare battle, unless we redefine the terms of the fight. Bernie, the Democrats, and the Media (but, I repeat myself) will make emotional appeals to the people that “healthcare is a right.”  They will suggest that they (government) can provide better care at lower cost. A lie of course, but that’s never seemed to stop liberals before (see; If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor).

We have an opportunity to articulate the virtues of a “market-based system” versus relinquishing the people’s health to the benevolence of government bureaucrats. I don’t hold out hope that our, ahem, representatives are up to the task, but I for one am going to beat the “free market” drum as loud as I can. Hopefully, we can influence an honest discussion of the options. If “you” want the government to provide healthcare, “you” need to pay for it.

John McCain may have done the wrong thing, for the wrong reasons, but he’s allowed the debate to progress to what it should have been all along – the Free Market versus Socialized Medicine. Thank you, John McCain.