Un-Arguments For Health Care Reform

One of the odd features of the 'healthcare' debate is that certain arguments for nationalized health care/health care 'reform' are actually backwards and run counter to the thing being argued for. None more so than this argument: "We pay way too much for health care compared to other countries!" Pro-'reform' folks love this argument. The idea, I guess, is supposed to be that I should be so mad about how much "we" pay on health care (for some reason I, and my medical bills, have been lumped into some "we"..) that I should embrace the 'reform'.

Which even seems to make sense, as long as you don't, like, think about it.

Because here is what is really being said: "We" pay too much, so let's spend a freaking trillion more dollars on it and sign ourselves up for who knows how much more in entitlements.

Also: You should be mad about how much "we" pay, it means you're getting a raw deal. So support me as I raise your taxes, and force you to spend more money, and penalize you if you don't.

And finally: It's a travesty that some (but not all) peoples' health care in the U.S. is rationed (i.e. those who are destitute thus fall under Medicaid, or who go to the ER for care thus have to wait in line). That's so inhumane! So join me in my effort to get us all on government rationing.

Do any of these arguments make sense? Do they work as sales pitches for the thing being advocated? No, they do not.

I don't know whether it's just that health care 'reform' advocates lack basic logic skills or something deeper is going on, but these arguments just don't work on the face of them. They aren't even arguments, they are un-arguments. I can't even tell whether these folks genuinely believe that, say, spending more money is a method of saving money; or that raising my taxes/levying penalties on me is a way of giving me a better 'deal'. Perhaps they are just pretending to believe it. Perhaps they don't really care deep down and just need rhetorical sticks with which to beat back their opponents, and these are the best talking-points that their side has been distributing to its foot soldiers. Who knows.

What I do know is that no one with a brain can take these un-arguments seriously.

[from Rhymes With Cars & Girls]