Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Speaking of uncertainty ...

... Don't Forget Keynes.

2 comments:

  1. Health care reform is NOT going to happen. With so many members of our government in the pocket of those making a fortune from the way our health care system is structured the system is absolutely safe as it is. That a third of our citizens are shut out doesn't matter. That the current structure will continue to inflate the cost of our goods and erode our standard of living doesn't matter. What matters is soaring health care profits. The American Dream! Profit, profit, profit and to hell with the 47 million who are shut out - too poor, or too sick, to matter. Millionaire doctors, drug company and health insurance company executives and shareholders reaping great ROI - that's the ticket! United Health Care wins again!

    -blue

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  2. Well, the 47 million figure is bogus - I was once uninsured and it was because I was young and didn't feel like spending the money. (The figure has been repeatedly debunked: According to the Census Bureau 38 percent of those uninsured make more than 50 grand a year and just don't choose to buy health insurance. Another 12 million or so are illegal immigrants. Of the remaining 16 million or so, half are under the of 18. A good many of the remaining 8 million are young people like I was once who just don't bother.) That said, though, I think we agree for once, Blue. Too many people have a stake in this one.
    Though the problem is more complex than the politicians and their hangers-on grasp. There is legitimate overhead of vast proportions in health care. Those machines don't come out of a Crackerjacks box. Research also costs money. So do hospitals and the beds that are in them. I have never seen in any segment of the media a discussion of this. Also, it costs a pretty nice sum to become a physician. Also, I am blessed with a pretty good constitution and have taken pretty good care of myself (years of drinking notwithstanding), so why the hell should I pay for some obese stuffing himself with fried chicken every night?And I say all thgis as someone who has no particular interest in taking any extraordinary means to preserve his life (a resolution I made in my college ethics class, when I realized I didn't have to). In short, it is a very complex problem, and if you think the federal government is best qualified to deal with it, well, (a) you've never worked in DC for the government (I have) or (b) you're nuts. A good start would be to stop thinking that the only solution to any problem is one provided by the state, which produces nothing, by the way.

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