Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, has called the public option for government paid health care "socialism." Which begins to show the cracks and flaws in all the Republican thinking when it comes to their opposition to the public option for health care.
Steele seems to have taken on the role of Naysayer in Chief for the Republicans but what he has to say makes little to no sense. Mostly because its all disengenuous, because their real agenda is to save the insurance companies.
If the Republicans think the public option is socialism and therefore "bad," then they must believe that the opposite is good -- which is a health care system based on capitalism which reduces getting medical treatment and making life and death decisions based on who can pay.
Capitalism and health care simply don't mix. It's the biggest reason why the health care system is in the mess that it's in. And remember that in Canada and European countries where they already have government paid health care, all the major American drug companies, selling the same drugs there as here for less than half the price, are all doing quite well. None have shut down their European or Canadian operations.
Capitalism is about free enterprise and free markets. It's about cashing in on your initiative, being innovative and reaping the rewards of your ideas, time and effort. It has no place in decision making that relate to fighting cancer or dispensing life saving drugs.
Capitalism as a driving force doesn't have any place in the health care system any more than capitalism has a place when it comes to police or firefighting which if you want to use Steele's rationale, is socialism. But I hear no complaints from Steele about socialist police departments or firefighters.
Maybe Steele thinks they should be run on a capitalist system too. Call the cops to break up a domestic dispute and you get a bill. Call the fire department to put out a fire and you get socked for the cost of a hook and ladder, a pumper, a battalion commander and maybe 12 firefighters. Imagine calling in a fire and having the 911 operator ask " and how are you going to pay for it? If you don't have the money then you just have to let your house burn down..Unless you carry firefighting insurance in which case the insurance company pays the bills along with your co-pay.
On CNN Steele gave the preposterous example of a public option system in which bureaucrats would decide against letting an 85 year old grandmother get a hip replacement..When asked where in any of the public option bills that existed, Steele laughed and said well of course its not in any of the bills but you can read the bills and see where its going. Which leads one to ask the question, if that were true, if Steele or the Republicans who controlled the White House and both branches of Congress for 6 years could see where things were going, why didn't they stop the economy from going over a cliff before it happened? Why didnt they see that Shinseki was right and Bush was invading Iraq with too few troops and that it was going to lead to chaos?
All of a sudden the people responsible for creating the biggest economic mess since the 1930's suddenly know exactly what should be done..
The public option for health care which simply gives people a choice as to their health coverage between a government run program and private insurance is a nightmare for the insurance companies and that is who Steele is defending. But if there has to be a choice between a system that creates a nightmare for an insurance company or one for a mother of three with cancer, who are you going to choose?
If making sure that everyone in the country has access to adequate healthcare without worrying if they can afford it is socialism then call it anything you like. Sticks and stones will break your bones but names won't get them fixed.
Government paid ( not government run) healthcare is something that's way overdue and something the country needs like almost every other country in the civilized world. Its no more socialistic than other services from police and fire to traffic and sanitation. And it's probably more important since more people will see a doctor than will see a cop.
What we can't do is continue to maintain a health care insurance system that is a gross national disgrace just to keep it as a part of our gross national product.
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Comments
so what. re socialized medicine??..
..then so what socialized/political capitalism..??
..then so what...past american entreprenural dyanmics??..
..then so what..government ruling our lives??
so what/???
You can play the blame game all day long, but 83% of Americans are insured. Of those 17% uninsured, many choose to not seek medical insurance (i.e. young, healthy and single). Both parties agree that Health care needs to be more affordable so that all can have access, but the differing philosophies occur over "who wants control?". People? Insurance Companies? The Government!? Obama is creating a nanny state, and his intentions are purely a "power grab"---not "I want to help the poor!". I don't trust the government to handle my mail service, let alone my cancer screenings! Where's your American independent spirit? The most important characteristics for good health care are 1) Timeliness (no waiting lists), 2) Quality, 3) Options, 4)Cost. Obama's "public option" barely meets #4, and definitely excludes 1,2, and 3. Free-market solutions are needed to meet all characteristics, and the government isn't the solution to all problems.
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