Health Care's "Music Man"

A tragic tale is unfolding in the U.S. that is painfully similar to Meredith Wilson's award winning stage musical and film adaptation: The Music Man.

The fictional plot involves a con-man, Harold Hill, who presents himself to the citizens of an early-American Midwestern town as a band organizer. His intent is to sell musical instruments and uniforms to the local yokels with the promise that he will train their youngsters to become members of a high school marching band.

As is always the case of con artists, Mr. Hill has no intention of training the town's youth, rather his only goal is to take the money and run.

Fast forward to Twentieth Century America and we have Barack Obama in the role of Harold Hill, and the gullible American people cast as the unfortunate townsfolk.

Instead of musical instruments and lessons, substitute socialized medicine and Obamacare being fobbed off on the American people as a panacea for their perceived health care problems.

Unfortunately, Mr. Obama fails to come into contact with anyone resembling Marian the Librarian; rather he is abetted by greedy politicians, a compliant news media, and a public looking for free health care.

At the conclusion of the fictional version, the sinister huckster sees the error of his ways, falls in love with the comely librarian, and the youngsters miraculously learn how to play their instruments; and they all live happily thereafter.

Unfortunately, in the real life version, the townsfolk (that's us) are swindled out of their money, their children don't become musicians, the city goes into bankruptcy, and the instruments won't even play a tune, no matter how hard their owners try.

Twentieth Century America is in dire need of a Marian the Librarian, or some other miracle worker or the country is going to sink into a sea of bankruptcy, and the devious huckster will slink off into the night, hoping to be revered and honored as a great American, statesman, and world leader: A legend in his own mind.

Seventy six trombones . . . .