Fear Tactics for Health Care Reform

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In Paul Krugman's blog he laments the large quantity of hate mail he's been getting lately. He blames talk radio for the emotional outbursts against health care reform, but I think the hate emanates from far more than just Rush Limbaugh. We also have town hall meetings 'salted' with rabble rousers, and multi-million-dollar ad campaigns touting unreasoned fear. Be warned, such ads have even popped up on my blog. I don't place them. Google 'bots' do that.

An NPR piece a couple days ago described why fear tactics have succeeded for nearly a century in squelching health-care reform. If these tactics work so well, why don't the Dems use them?

Fear tactics arguing for change needn't be a pack of lies. Shouldn't we fear an industry that funds our politicians' election campaigns? Shouldn't we fear an industry that raises our premiums 8.4% when the economy has contracted and inflation is near zero? Shouldn't we fear the prospect of soaring medical costs eating 1/3 of our income a decade hence?

Highlighting those fears just might motivate the populace to support reform.
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Public Option D.O.A.?

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I'm a conservative Democrat. I believe a free-market economy is the best way for as many people as possible to do well financially. But a free market did not best serve the world in the late 19th century when Standard Oil controlled 90% of the oil reserves. Today's 'free' health-care market is not serving U.S. citizens well, partially because of two oligopolies who exert far too much control: pharmaceutical and health insurance industries. They are controlling the message and, apparently, members of Congress. Without a public option, every version of the bills currently under consideration lose most their power to drive down costs.

My message to all current representatives, Republicans and Democrats alike: Bottom line, no public option, you lose my vote. Period.
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Denver Post misses the mark on foreclosures

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In an article posted online today, the Denver Post announces: “Colorado foreclosures filings hit record high” Unfortunately, that’s the wrong headline. The most meaningful number is the completed foreclosures, not initial filings. Completed foreclosures were down, not up, compared to last year's average. And I didn't have to go anywhere else for my information. My calculations are based on the numbers in the article. The headline should have been: "Colorado's foreclosure pace decreases".

But then, my headline doesn't sound like bad news, does it?
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Investor's Business Daily announces Hawking immigrates to America!

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You may already know about an editorial in Investor’s Business Daily that read, in part:

“People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.”

Hawking, born, raised and still living in the U.K., has not yet commented on the editorial. But right-wing magazine Human Events did comment, commending the editorial for having "exposed the Achilles' heel of Obamacare."

That’s the battle Americans face. Lies and ignorance make their way into news media. People and organizations who support the status quo swiftly repeat and amplify them. Some significant portion of our populace believes the nonsense, with nary a bit of skepticism, because they want to believe all things Democrat are wrong or evil. But this is not a problem for Democrats only: Republicans (voters, not pols) swallow these bitter pills of deceit and ferociously defend the current health care system—despite an inflation rate that has been triple the inflation pace of the rest of our economy since Hillarycare was proposed 16 years ago. The only segment of our health care that has had a slightly lower inflation rate is Medicare.

“If you like the Post Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles and you think they’re run well, just wait till you see Medicare, Medicaid, and health care done by the government.” – Art Laffer, a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board.

With Medicare being the only shining star in health care, I can almost see Laffer’s point. We don’t want government to get in there and take control of Medicare and muck it up. Just one problem: Exactly who does Laffer think is running Medicare?

Apparently, a close relative of mine believes Medicare is a private insurance program: She recently whispered “Obama wants all the old people dead.” I know for a fact she’s not a racist, so I have to assume she fears our president because he’s a Dem. She's a Dittohead (Rush Limbaugh fan). Too many other people follow Rush for me to ignore. So tomorrow I’m going to Colorado Senator Michael Bennett’s office to tell his staff why I support a version of the current bills proposed. For the record, here’s why:

• A system that requires almost all employers to provide health coverage or money compensation, together with


• A system that requires insurance companies to cover everyone for the same price regardless of current health, together with


• A system that forbids insurance providers from dropping clients due to a deterioration in their health, together with


• A system that provides financial aid to people who cannot afford health coverage, together with


• A system that offers a public alternative to private insurance providers, will drive down total costs in three interrelated ways:

1. Healthy people who, under the current system, choose to roll the dice and forgo health insurance will now be covered and paying into the system. These people are least likely to burden the system, which should reduce costs for everyone else;


2. The impoverished and people who become chronically ill and who, under the current system, have no health coverage, will no longer postpone seeking medical attention until they face life-threatening circumstances, which statistics show result in the highest unpaid expenses incurred by hospitals. These expenses will be greatly reduced instead of passed along to the rest of us; and


3. Insurance companies will face direct competition from the federal government—the same government that for 16 years has kept better check on health care costs through Medicare than private industry has managed.

Since Hillarycare was defeated, however, Insurance companies have enjoyed over 500% growth in profits. We should have passed reform then. Instead, we let Republicans (pols, not voters), whose campaigns are financed by Big Pharma and private insurance lobbyists, scare us into taking no action at all.

Please take action now. Support health care change with me. Call, email, or even better, go to your representative’s office and tell them what you think.

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