In watching various recent news accounts of press conferences, town hall style meetings and political rallies, the issue of socialism in health care often comes up. It is not uncommon to see a politician tell the crowd that he or she is in favor of Big Government health care. This often leads to a rousing round of applause from some of the spectators.

What exactly are they cheering for?

As I am never at a rally in support of Big Government Socialism I can only try to deduce what it is these people are cheering for. Is it that they do not have a health insurance plan of their own? Do they not have one because they could not afford it, could not be approved for one or perhaps chose to spend that money on something else? Are they unemployed or – if they are employed – perhaps their employer does not offer them health insurance. Are they retired or elderly and live on a fixed income at the same time that they are needing more and more medical care? Is medical care currently unavailable to them because they cannot afford it?

Without going into a discussion on the actual quality that a Big Government run medical system would likely have, what exactly is missing in our current system now that these people are hoping to get with this new soicialism?

Apparently, it must be that these cheering crowds are simply hoping to somehow get something more without having to pay any more than they are currently willing or able to pay. Well, as long as it is someone else who has to pay more money – or make less money – then I suppose that could make some people cheer. Somehow, it seems, they believe that Big Government can pass a law, levy a tax, force the medical industry to make less money, seize someone’s assets or devise some new regulation – maybe a new czar or something – that will make these crowds cheer.

It is easy to see why politicians who promise to give you more without you paying more would get a standing ovation.