Anchorage Police Officer Anthony Rollins is going to be given a public defender. He made over 140K last year. The ADN reports between him and his wife they have made over a million dollars in the past five years.

Rollins made bad choices with his money. He has rental properties worth less than the mortgage; he has credit card debt and two liens on the family home. He is like many Americans, drowning in debt when he should not be.

Judge Volland is just following the typical behavior of our government. Sign on to a bad home loan and the government will save you. Drown yourself in credit card debt and the government is there to say it is not your fault. Need a new car and Obama rides in on his white horse. We all know what Obama wants to give everybody next, government health care.

A commenter at Lisa Murkowski’s meeting expressed an opinion that there should be no profit in health care. So what does she think should be for profit? Her property taxes clearly go to the profit of APD officers. Real estate is the source of huge profits and housing is a necessity. There are those that seem to think the country is being run by the Ferengi. They actually believe the 285 rules of acquisition are in certain company’s corporate documents.

The top expense for most American households is housing. The only exception is high income earners who have taxes as their highest expense.

The housing bubble was inflated with personal irresponsibility. The idea that everyone should have the ability to own a home got us in serious trouble. Only people with appropriate resources should be buying homes. Ridiculous loan offers do not have to be accepted. The problem is when lenders tried to be responsible they were accused of discrimination. It was culture and expectations that created the crisis as much as anything else.

Next on the expense hit parade is transportation. There are few things sadder then looking across a parking lot and seeing gas guzzling monsters in every space. People use their cars for statements and pleasure more than function in this country.

Food is the third expense. We spend more money on fast food than anybody else. Anchorage is near the top on that list as well. We are not afraid to spend and be unhealthy as we do it.

Insurance is fourth. Health care is fifth at just above 5% and barely trailing at sixth is entertainment.

Americans love to spend money on things they want. We buy smoothies. We buy SUVs. We buy designer clothes. We buy cell phones. We buy the biggest televisions we can find. We go to the movies. We buy video games. We vacation.

Americans do not delay gratification either. We buy things at the first opportunity. A big movie hits and everybody wants to see it on the first weekend. We always want to have the latest and the greatest and will pay a premium to get it. Alaska retailers know it and flood us with ads at PFD time.

Americans hate to spend money on things they need. Patients armed with a latte in one hand and an i-phone in the other will complain about a drug that costs $3 a day. After the discussion they will hop into their Hummer and find their way to the gas station. The complaints come up again because of gas prices. Gas and utilities are a constant source of complaints because people view it as a necessity.

Ever notice that the industries that people hate the most tend to be the ones that provide necessities? The cost of a gallon of milk gets tempers boiling more than the cost of a T-shirt. Protests of cost never seem to play out well against the NFL or Starbucks or Google. Doctors are greedy but those Hollywood actors sure understand.

When I was 12 I had an opportunity to go to my grandfather’s 50th high school reunion. It was the class of 1930 and they had graduated into the Great Depression. Their attitudes towards necessity gave them a much better perspective than my generation. I sometimes wonder if that is exactly what this country needs again to get its bearings back.

As a country, we have lived beyond our means for too long. That is what is sinking us. The American people have a warped perception that they should have the best of everything. It is all about wants and immediate gratification. If we cannot pay for it, we just go further into the red to get it.

We spend a lot of money. We elect politicians that do the same thing with our tax money.

Health care is really no different. Patients demand the best all the time. It is partially responsible for the costs.

One thing Air Force medicine showed me is that a universal system will not save. Patients over utilized the system and always demanded advanced testing and referrals to specialists. If demands were not met, they fired a letter off to Uncle Ted.

The lawyers will have no problem filling the role of Uncle Ted if we go for government controlled health care. They will ensure that any cost containment attempts are treated with a good dose of “torticycline.” The only question may be whether there are any physicians left to sue.

Health care needs reform. We also need to be careful because there is a much bigger problem…

Our culture needs reform.