Healthcare for grandma = socialism?
Republicans have been fighting any form of universal coverage for a very long time. For well over 100 years in America there have been polemics about how decent healthcare for everyone will lead to ruination and damnation or worse: socialism! While every other advanced Democracy has universal coverage and enjoys better outcomes, we persist with a model that pleases Wall Street and the Insurance companies, while tens of millions have no healthcare at all. Something like 45,000 people die every year due to a lack of medical care. Those that do have ‘insurance’ pay more than other countries, accept worse outcomes and are one major illness away from bankruptcy.
While Republicans have done everything to destroy basics like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the public is solidly behind these programs and is willing to pay for it. Take Medicare for example. Here is a record that Dutch Reagan put out warning the listener of the evils of Socialized Medicine (cue dramatic music!) If this evil Medicare thing passes, doctors will be told where to practice, what to practice and soon The Government will tell everyone where and what to do forever! We’ll spend our sunset years looking back on how great it used to be to be Free! Or maybe not.
Other than reducing the number of sick and dying old folks (surely an unmitigated good), none of these ridiculous warnings have come close to being true.
Perhaps we should think about this when debating the idea that we should provide the world’s best healthcare to all our citizens. Because right now we spend more, cover less and have worse outcomes than all the other 1st world countries (and many 2nd and 3rd world countries).
March 28th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
I’m a little confused here, the Dems are saying by November we will learn to like (odd choice of words for a democracy) the new health care plan, but it doesn’t take effect for several years, what am I missing? Hmm, an election maybe?
March 28th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Having realized that meaningful discussion is a waste of time here, I bring you this: http://www.bleeckerandsullivan.com/guys/ts/gmaChe/gmaChe.html . It fits the subject and it is certainly more thought provoking than a Malkin copy/paste job surrounded by faux-intellectualism.
March 28th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
To be more accurate, the first sentence should have read “Having long ago realized…”.
March 28th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Good post enk.
shcb, you seem to be missing the integrity to deal with reality and instead pretend not to understand (i.e. parts of the bill are implemented immediately.)
Smith, I’d like to open the site you linked but I get this warning fom AVG:
“www .bleeckerandsullivan.com/guys/ts/gmaChe/gmaChe.html
The page you are trying to access has been identified as a known exploit, phishing, or social engineering web site and therefore has been blocked for your safety. Without protection, such as that in the AVG Security Toolbar and AVG, your computer is at risk of being compromised, corrupted or having your identity stolen. Please follow one of the suggestions below to continue.
URL: www .bleeckerandsullivan.com/Scripts/AC_RunActiveContent.js
Name: Link to known exploit site (type 663) “
March 29th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Strange. I don’t get any warnings. It really isn’t anything particularly important. Just a poorly done parody of the ubiquitous Che t-shirt. The site itself is a javascript nightmare, so I can see why it might throw up red flags.
March 30th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
some benefits start immediately
here is the White House slide deck on selling healthcare
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2010/03/white-house-gives-capitol-hill-health-care-talking-points.php?page=14
read all 14 slides if you want the WH take on the HCR ‘debate’
btw – markets have been going in one direction since HCR passed: up
The Market (and Adam Smith’s All-Powerful Invisible Hand) has Spoken.
HCR is good for America.
So any wwnjs out there even going to bother to listen to ol Dutch Reagan and his dire warnings of the Socialistacolypse if Medicare passes? None of that stuff was true then and I wager we’ll look back on this rather mild ‘reform’ bill and see the same thing: wwnj scare tactics were long on the scare and short on the facts.