I never thought of it quite this way, but the appearance of fear might mask actual reasons someone may be averse to change. In other words, if I'm afraid or appear to be afraid people will go soft. So, like a baby who learns the value of crying, have we learned that fear can be used as a shield.
This raised its face recently when someone asked me about the currents state of the economy. I responded that if we eliminated the tax benefit of owning a home (and borrowing a mortgage to buy that home) and saving for retirement the government revenue would snap back. My point was that saying that we can't pay for a fundamental benefit like health, is disengnuous. We can, we just choose not to.
This person objected and painted a picture of a future in my scenario in which home prices collapse, people stop saving for retirement and hospitals explode with services being gobbled up by free-loaders.
Really? First! Forget insensitivity of the "free-loader" comment, I will agree on this point that the way we currently ration healthcare has created a large population who have a backlog in need.
But on the other two points, I am not sold. Does this mean that I would immediately stop saving for retirement and sell my house?
No. This is fear talking and I'm not buying it anymore.
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