(Good question – promoted by Magnifico)
Well if Talking Points were Rubles … Some people would be king!
How to Stop Socialized Health Care
Five arguments Republicans must make.
By KARL ROVE – Wall Street Journal – JUNE 11, 2009
If Democrats enact a public-option health-insurance program, America is on the way to becoming a European-style welfare state. To prevent this from happening, there are five arguments Republicans must make.
The first is it’s unnecessary. …
But 1,300 companies sell health insurance plans. That’s competition enough.Second, a public option will undercut private insurers and pass the tab to taxpayers and health providers just as it does in existing government-run programs. …
Third, government-run health insurance would crater the private insurance market, forcing most Americans onto the government plan. …
Fourth, the public option is far too expensive. …
Fifth, the public option puts government firmly in the middle of the relationship between patients and their doctors. …
Link to this WSJ screed.
Oh pity the poor little Private Insurers — they’ll just wilt in the face of any Competition from the big bad Public Option!
Poor Babies — WAAAAAAHHH!
Buck up CEO’s — there is still hope of justifying those annual 20-30% profit margins, you’ve grown accustom to —
and it involves actually providing a Quality Product that people are willing to pay for —
that’s how Competition is supposed to work!
And there is a everyday precedent for Private Industry, not only surviving, but thriving in the face of Public Competition — you just need to look to the Education Sector to see that dynamic, at play.
Private Schools have learned that when they Actually provide a Quality Product, that many People are willing to pay for, and they can keep making their tidy profits. (guilt free, no less)
If anything the existence of Universal Public Schools have motivated the Private School Sector to become better, to improve their Quality — and lots of People are willing to pay for the Q-word.
And for the rest of us who can’t afford a Private School Education — well at least, we still have the right to a Public Education, and that Option often does a very good job. (It’s much better than the “take the Private Plan, or leave it!” option.)
But the issue is to give ALL the People the Choice!
(even those of us regular folks, who can’t afford the Cadillac model, of everything!)
In America, No one is forced to go without an Education, thank goodness! — SO why are so many forced to go without Health Care? Since when did “compassion” and “providing opportunity” become such a scourge and a pariah? … you know, It doesn’t have to be that way!
We all know, that “Compassionate Conservatives” … are really Neither!
Neither Compassionate, nor Conservative (spending wise).
Indeed The Party of NO, is Fighting for the Status Quo.
Rove and his cohorts may have their anti-Reform Talking Points —
But we should ask them one Question:
If Private Insurers truly have such a “Quality Product” to offer —
Why are they worried about a little competition from a Public Plan?
Public Schools haven’t put Private Schools out of Business!
If Private Insurers actually have a “Quality Product”, then they have nothing to worry about from a non-profit Public Option, nothing at all!
A Public Option in Health Care — it will only increase the Quality and Opportunities for all, just as the Public Education system has provided us —
And isn’t that what America is SUPPOSED to be all about?
Well, that used to be the point … America, the Land of Opportunities.
Opportunity to Education, and someday an Opportunity to Health, too.
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Post Script: regarding Rove’s Point 1 against the Public Option:
The first [point] is it’s unnecessary. …
But 1,300 companies sell health insurance plans. That’s competition enough.
That’s like saying we don’t Need Public Schools, because we have 1000’s of Private Schools — and That’s competition enough!
Hardly! (maybe in some gated community bunker, somewhere!)
Someone’s got to keep all those Hen-house Foxes honest, and that sure shouldn’t be another Private Sector Fox!
And that is just what a Public Option can be designed to do — keep em honest!
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Post Script 2:
This was also posted on the Big Orange: Link
Apologies for posting much the same content in this essay, as I did in a previous essay — but this one is much clearer (I hope).
thx for the indulgence, and “Happy Framing!”
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Someday someone will start talking Common Sense, on the Corporate Media — HAAAAH!
that’ll be the day!
I’m really impressed with Karl Rove, too. He appears to be learning and evolving lately. He’s doing almost as good a job of burying the GOP as George Bush used to do…
Lets bundle up Rove, Cheney and others of this ilk and send them to:
!
trope will be viable. It’s not like “Europe” is some mythical land beyond the asteroid belt.
There is also this information jobber the kids call “the Internet”. And anyway if Europe really SUX that much we’d have heard about it on Oprah already.
Of course the real wonder may be how much longer will tired old organs like the WSJ be meaningful to any but the Have Mores? I’m thinking about -12years.
because you did a good job!
Warmest regards,
Doc