What god would make this?

Alongside today's stories about teaching intelligent design in the classroom is the news that South Carolina is trying, in essence, to eliminate Medicaid. Instead of guaranteed health services for the poor, SC wants to create private accounts where some sum of money (determined by age, sex, and physical health) would be deposited and the recipients can use the money for insurance or to pay for health care directly. If they use it up, that's that. AP reports:

South Carolina's request is based on the belief that Medicaid has created little incentive for frugality. Rather, it has created incentives for beneficiaries to seek health care services without regard for the costs.

. . .

[C]onservative think tank analysts applaud the South Carolina plan. Devon Herrick, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, said the plan promotes personal responsibility.

"If they've made wise choices, they might have money left over," Herrick said. "If they've made poor choices, it might take some money out of their pockets."

You hear that all you South Carolina poor people? You're going to have to stop being so frivolous and thoughtless about your health care choices. I mean, that chemo treatment you're getting--did you even shop around? I'll bet you didn't. I'll bet you just accepted the first offer that came your way. I hear Wal-mart is cutting back prices on cancer treatments. And those emergency room visits. A bit excessive don't you think? Every time there's a serious injury, you just rush into the hospital without stopping to think first whether you could staunch the flow of blood with some household item.

You better wise up.

Sheesh, those poor people act like everyone's got the right to life or something. Only fetuses (feti?) get it for free, folks; you've got to earn it. Make some better choices, will you? Contracting diabetes? Hep? Cancer? Bad choices. Really bad.

News like this makes me wonder how anyone can believe in intelligent design. If the theory holds that the world is too complex a place to have happened by accident/evolution, what about the obvious conclusion that the world is too venal and repulsive to have been the masterwork of an omnipotent being?

I've said it before, and I'm saying it again now: if there were such a thing as intelligent design, I am certain we are the beta-test. A failed experiment at best. You've got to know that god rejected the whole free-will thing after building Earth. It seemed like a good idea on paper, but in its execution it just didn't work out.