(Previously published on January 6, 2010)

"The Left claims the Right is anti-intellectual.. Thomas Sowell shows there's a good reason for being so — without being anti-intelligence, anti-facts, or anti-wisdom."

- Elizabeth Kantor (Conservative Book Club)

MY BROTHER is almost 80 years old. He works for the Red Cross and Habitat For Humanity, and other civic and political organizations. He works harder than I do, but the last time he saw his doctor and got a colon checkup, the doctor said, "You won't have to come back anymore." WHY? my brother asked.

"WELL," said the doctor. "You're almost 80."

In other words: "Medicare is running out of money." BO's "stash" is running short. Take a number if you dare. If the number you draw is 666, you're fresh out of luck. Get your affairs in order, even if your dad lived to be almost 90 (without "universal healthcare"). When you're out of Miller, you're outa luck. When they say "What's up?" it's probably your number that's UP! You can crawl in a hole and shovel some dirt on top of yourself, for all Big Brother's supercomputer cares. You get an artificial intelligence farewell salute.

Flashback to 2010: WELCOME TO "FROM EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY, TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS NEEDS" (under this "system," the needs of Big Brother come first; your needs can take a number or take a hike). "That's all you get for your needs." The VA medical system is already rationing, too.

THE CHICAGO GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT: When the year 2008 began, who would'a thunk that the Chicago gang would beat out the Arkansas gang for First Dibs? Eh?

Quite predictably, our national debt went from $10.4 Trillion in January 2009 to fourteen Trillion dollars by the end of the year — WITHOUT "UNIVERSAL HELL-THCARE" EVEN. So it goes, beyond the rabbit hole in Topsy-turveydom. Never-Never Land never had anything on these guys. Al Capone would be so proud. Bonnie and Clyde look like Bonnie & Klutz compared to these grave-robbers (they call that Inheritance taxes now). They'll take everything but your gold teeth — so far!

P.S. Part one of this series was on abortion. This one is on health care rationing. There should be a part three on euthanasia, Academania's latest trend in avant-garde progressivism. LaLa Land 2.0!