Final Word from Thursday, May 29, 2008
As of yesterday, an asterisk will need to be added to the Czech Constitution at the point where it guarantees free healthcare. A footnote will have to say in Clintonian fashion that it depends on how you define the word "free." The Court's implied definition is that free healthcare must be "less free" if too many people try to avail themselves of it, because there isn't enough "free-ness" to go around. Fees of Kč 30, Kč 60 or Kč 90 are merely various expressions of the reverse comparative form of the word "free," the Court suggests, while Kč 0 is the superlative form and equates to "absolutely, existentially free." Granted, this is a convoluted way to justify health fees that, constitutionally speaking, are unjustifiable. A cleaner way to resolve the issue would be to declare the word "free" unconstitutional. Just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, everyone knows there's no such thing as "free" healthcare anyway.[Czech Republic Bill medical]
Glossary of difficult words
asterisk - a symbol (*) used to mark text, sometimes as reference to an annotation;
in Clintonian fashion - Bill Clinton said famously that "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is";
to avail oneself of something - to use or take advantage of an opportunity or available resource;
enough to go around - enough to meet the demand, to supply everyone;
reverse comparative form - whereas "freer" is the comparative form of "free," the reverse comparative form is "less free";
superlative form - the highest degree of comparison; the superlative of "free" is "freest";
convoluted - extremely complex and difficult to follow.