I'm sure you aren't a mean-spirited person, John (in fact from seeing your posts around the Cat I know you aren't). But that bit there:

And do you think that the cost of a hip implant is arbitrarily high? Do you think it is not expensive? What does society owe you? How expensive does a non-life saving medical procedure have to be before you finally say...."hmmm. maybe I'm taxing my neighbor just a little more than is fair"?

That would come far more appropriately from someone who was mean-spirited.

(Matthew 25:31–46)