The New Scarlet Letter: U

Governor Mitt Romney said yesterday that he envisions a range of penalties for businesses that fail to provide health insurance, such as forcing them to pay a higher minimum wage, banning them from doing business with state agencies, or slapping a decal on their window to publicize their refusal. - Boston Globe.

The Republican Governor actually floated the idea that small businesses should suffer the social scruge of having a decal in the windows at their place of business if they don't comply with the government's request. There's something wrong here.

I guess this is what passes as a market-based solution for the Governor. Since when did it become the employers' sole responsibility to provide everyone with health insurance? This is what the Democrats have been trying to do for over a decade, when they first tried and failed to get the government to do it. (Remember Hillary?)

I think Romney's Mormon roots are showing. It's that 10% tything thing. Either that or once again the Governor is showing his political deafness.

What ever happened to small business is the backbone of the economy; what ever happened to entrepreneurship?

We should raise the minimun wage, especially when we import so much of our cheap labor. We should absolutely change the law and allow everyone to buy catastrophic health insurance again. Take it from an economist, just these two measures could solve the problem of too many uninsured. Too many vested interests, to do the right thing, I guess.

But just to show you that "all politics is local," one of those small businesses would be Christy's, owned by Romney political benefactor, and the Cape's own Christy Mihos. In fact, most businesses on Cape Cod would have to sport he decals in their windows.

Better yet, let's put them on our SUVs: U for Uninsured. These will no doubt be followed by the bumper stickers of Romney's opponent in 2006.