"I'm Here to Help You" S. Pritchard

by Stu Pritchard T Wo time-honored professions, among others over the millennia, have been • revered in history and extolled in poetry. "Medicine," exclaimed Voltaire, "that most es timable of professions." Longfellow wrote of farmers' lives "darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven." These two professions are among those now being throttled by bureaucratic government. "It's insanity," said a radiologist to me recently about trying to cope. "They're taking away my liveli hood," lamented a farmer. But how to explain? How can others in differ ent professions, who see only their own oxen be ing gored, understand my problems as a physi cian and a farmer? On one day alone, eight missives arrived by mail from Medicare. Page after computer-printed page added and deleted five-digit codes for myri ad medical procedures and diagnoses. Cited were "violative procedures/, each be"aringa possible $2,000 fine. A clerk demanded copies of all my office notes and records for the past two years from my personal file on· a long-standing heart patient. Of course, I refused.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, a young lady drove past the barn and stopped at the farm house. The legend, "Department of Agriculture," on the side of her pickup caught my eye. "I'm here to help you," she announced, and then, "I see you have two cows in your pasture." ("Heifers," 1 corrected.) "And we've had a reStu Pritchard, M.D., of Tumwater, Washington, divides his time between practicing medicine and farming. An earlier version of this article appeared in The Olympian, published in Olympia, Washington. 487 port from Thurston County Health Department that you did some plowing last summer." "Yes," said I. "That's why more than 100 geese fly in frequently to nibble at the oats I planted. They are undisturbed by 13 deer who also like the feast." "Well," she persisted, "we're concerned about pollution in Oyster Bay." "I am, too, but 1 don't think this valley that's been a farm for more than 90 years contributes much pollution. Better to concentrate on human sources of pollution and contagion."

Public-spirited, energetic regulators are sin cerely motivated and increasingly "enabled" by politicians in legislative assembly. Although in both state and Federal constitutions, government is prohibited from using prior restraint to restrict freedom of speech and press, that same doctrine appears to be the method used by powerful bu reaucrats to impose their views upon the citizen ry. "Your actions," they seem to say, "might, even by a long stretch of the imagination, cause harm to others. There is no proof you have, but it is our supposition that you might cause harm. There fore, you're guilty, and we won't allow you to prove yourself innocent of any wrongdoing." Prior restraint-a doctrinaire signpost on "The Road to Serfdom," to quote the title of the fa mous book by Nobel Laureate Friedrich Hay ek-can regulate to the point of nonproduction, destroy incentive and entrepreneurship, and en feeble the industrious.

My local newspaper reports that every 100 public-sector jobs create 75 private-sector jobs. But wouldn't it be more realistic to say that 75 of the latter create 100 of the former? After all, which sector supports the other? Which is the sector that is mired down in li cense and permit fees, taxes, inquisitorial reports, and unannounced inspections on private proper ty? And if employees in the public sector wail that they, too, pay taxes, ask the source of the money used to pay those taxes. Yes, many who have loved their doctoring, their farming, and their other peaceful pursuits might pause to reflect: "Don't let bureaucracy dim freedom's light." 0 488 Argentina at the Crossroads by Richard A. Cooper S tatism has promised much to the Argen tine people. But over the past 50 years, it has brought violence, corruption, unem ployment, soaring inflation, and bitter disap pointment. There is, however, a vibrant and growing Argentine movement that offers another choice-a classical liberal/libertarian movement dedicated to free markets and individual liberty.