Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Why Republicans are against health care reform

Paul Krugman: 'The key to understanding the G.O.P. analysis of health reform is that the party’s leaders are not, in fact, opposed to reform because they believe it will increase the deficit. Nor are they opposed because they seriously believe that it will be “job-killing” (which it won’t be). They’re against reform because it would cover the uninsured — and that’s something they just don’t want to do.

And it’s not about the money. As I tried to explain in my last column, the modern G.O.P. has been taken over by an ideology in which the suffering of the unfortunate isn’t a proper concern of government, and alleviating that suffering at taxpayer expense is immoral, never mind how little it costs.

Given that their minds were made up from the beginning, top Republicans weren’t interested in and didn’t need any real policy analysis — in fact, they’re basically contemptuous of such analysis, something that shines through in their health care report. All they ever needed or wanted were some numbers and charts to wave at the press, fooling some people into believing that we’re having some kind of rational discussion. We aren’t.'

4 comments :

Don Cox said...

They seem to have in mind some crude concept of natural selection or eugenics.

Iraqi Mojo said...

That would be ironic because they don't believe in Darwinism.

Iraqi Mojo said...

This corroborates your comment, Don:

"The issue isn't just economic. We're back to tough love. The basic idea is force people to live with the consequences of whatever happens to them.

In the late 19th century it was called Social Darwinism. Only the fittest should survive, and any effort to save the less fit will undermine the moral fiber of society."

Iraqi Mojo said...

Mark Murray writes:With House Republicans today set to vote on -- and pass -- their legislation to repeal President Obama's signature health-care law, a brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that the American public is divided on the law and the repeal effort.

Thirty-nine percent believe the health plan that Obama signed into law last year is a good idea, versus another 39 percent who think it's a bad idea.

But those saying it's a good idea is at its highest level since September 2009, and those saying it's a bad idea is at its lowest level since June 2009.

The poll also finds that 46 percent of respondents are opposed to repeal (with 34 percent strongly opposed), while 45 percent support the repeal effort (with 35 percent strongly in favor).

The full NBC/WSJ poll, which will be released beginning at 6:30 pm ET, was conducted Jan. 13-17 of 1,000 adults (200 reached by cell phone), and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points.