Going Galt - Medical Division

I know the Left likes to ridicule anyone who mentions Ayn Rand or Atlas Shrugged. They especially like it when conservatives or Republicans say something about "Going Galt".

It seems to me that one reason for this is a (deliberate?) misunderstanding of what we -- or at least, I -- mean when we say that.

By "Going Galt", it seems to me, we (mostly) mean that someone will not take that next step, make that investment of time, effort, thought, or money, to make their mark in the world and make a difference.

Like Rand's great philosopher Hugh Akston who became a short order cook in a roadside diner, rather than using abilities to their utmost, someone who "goes Galt" might simply choose to do something else, rather than take the extreme Galt/Wyatt/Mulligan option of completely removing themselves from the reach of the looters and the moochers.

In that light, I think Obamacare is going to cause us more problems than many have been imagining. . . .

I have heard from a surgeon whom I trust and respect (though I don't know his source for this information) that much more than half of all surgeons are 55 or older.

Given the basic premise that people do things based on the incentives involved, and given the further premise that Obamacare (or, if it fails, the next incarnation of it) will reduce the financial and professional incentives to become a doctor, my friend believes strongly that we will be in for medical rationing simply because we will not be able to find enough doctors, regardless of what happens due to gov't bureaucratic manipulations.

My friend spent 14 years -- FOURTEEN YEARS -- after college training to become a doctor, then surgeon, then getting his specialty skills.

What makes people think that we will be able to find "volunteers" to go through such a rigorous and lengthy program, all the while incurring massive amounts of debt for the cost of their schooling and training, just so that they can be asked to work 36-hour shifts* for whatever salary a bureaucrat determines they are worth?

My friend loves his work. He does it for the satisfaction he gets from it.  (Now.) But when asked if he would have gone through everything he went through solely for the satisfaction of the job, he says no.  The potential to make a good living for himself and his family was definitely part of the attraction to the career choice in the first place.

There are other jobs he could have loved and been accomplished in performing, while paying well.  Plus they would have afforded him much more time to spend with his family as his children grew up, rather than having to spend significant portions of not just days but nights as well away from home and on call.

The point I want to leave you with is that we can expect to lose men such as him from the medical profession if we insist on making them gov't cogs rather than free actors, capable of making what they can in a market which rewards them for their dedication, efforts, sacrifices, and skills.

Beware what you wish for, Obamacare supporters.  You might just get it . . . and then the supply of producers whose efforts you have appropriated will dry up, relieving you of the burden of looting them.

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* Yes, I know the 24+ hour shifts don't last forever.  And that they are concentrated in the early years of training, but does that really make anyone think that people will jump at the chance to perform such arduous tasks for the pittance the DC paper pushers are willing to fork out?  Really?