Welcome to Salem!

I used the new electronic parking meters in downtown Salem yesterday for the first time. The first pay meter I went to said it was out of order, so down the street I went away from our destination. Good start. Then it was time to feed the one that was working. You can pay by coin or credit card but since it's $.25 for 22 minutes or something like that, and we were going to an engagement that was several hours long, out came the card. I must not have genuflected properly because it kept saying my card was not inserted correctly. Finally, after getting down on one knee, it magnanimously took it. Ah, now to choose the amount of time - 1 hour, 2 hours ... maximum time? Of course the buttons are labeled. Monty, Monty, Monty ... Door #3 for 3 hours! Aw, too bad, it was for the maximum time and we just charged your card. Out came the little ticket for the dashboard with a cheery "Welcome to Salem" across the top. Great set up you got here, Salem. Welcome indeed. 

It's Free, It's Free!

Ah yes, the wonderful Canadian healthcare system that Bernie Sanders and others of the Left rhapsodize so lovingly. It's free, you see. Well, maybe not. Consider: 

"In 2017, the average wait time to see a primary care doctor or treatment by a specialist in Canada was 22.1 weeks, over five months. Over one million Canadians are on that list, trying to get a doctor. Just last week, the Fraser Institute released the cost of this “free” system. It turns out that nothing is free. An average Canadian family of four pays, through hidden taxes and fees, around thirteen thousand dollars for long waiting lists, rationed care, and light access to the latest treatment."

It seems that many Canadians cannot get in to see a doctor for extended periods of time and with healthcare, time is often more than just money - at least to the person whose health is at risk. A pretty serious cost, no? And then there's what you pay in taxes for this "free" care. While reforms are needed in the American healthcare system, it is a bald-faced lie to say anything is going to be "free" but it does get votes. 

www.dailywire.com/news/34061/exclusive-sally-pipes-why-single-payer-healthcare-jacob-airey