Healthcare, President Obama & ABC

This story is a big deal to me on 2 levels, and I'll try to be brief in discussing both.


First, the obvious: I don't want the government running health care. Here is my argument:

1) The government has no experience running a successful business - in fact, their record runs in quite the opposite direction. In our current 'economic crisis' they have managed to lose billions of dollars from the stimulus bills and TARP money. Yes, you read that right. They can't account for billions of dollars. But take any government program - Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, GM, Chrysler, the USPS... show me a single profitable entity, or even costs being controlled to the 'break even' point, or even just money not being mishandled and wasted... this is me, not holding my breath.

2) President Obama will come out Wednesday night and say some variation of "Hey, if you like your health care, keep it! We just want something for the little guy, something for the guy who can't afford the stuff you have." And that sounds wonderful, but someone has to pay for it. And someone has to administer it. And consider the effect on the free market, once the government jumps in with a subsidized cheaper alternative which has the perception of being free. Any sane employer will drop or reduce their coverages, knowing that their employees can go this other route. I don't blame the employers one bit for doing this, as they are trying to make a living themselves, and turn a profit (which, by the way, is not a moral evil). But where, then, does the average American end up? With a socialist health care system that does not work (see Canada, the UK, etc). Are we willing to gamble trillions of our collective tax dollars that the government here can succeed where others failed, when the people running the program will have no financial interest in whether or not it is run effectively (i.e., profitably)?

3) You don't have to be trapped in this current system. There is a better way, but it requires a change in your mindset. In the history of the world, health care has never been like it has been over the last 50-60 years. Consider this alternative: charlesfreedom.blogspot.com/2009/05/health-care-reform-as-god-intended.html


On the 2nd level is ABC bending over backward to further the aims of the President with his domestic policy. Here is the danger:

1) The media has striven to set themselves up as the source of objectivity within American culture. Constantly and subtly they remind us that they report the news, somehow placing themselves above questions of worldview, politics and religion. They are gatekeepers of information, they believe, and they further believe they present this information in an unbiased fashion. Sadly, many Americans have bought this lie completely, but that does give the media a certain power - and with that power, a responsibility to use it wisely.

2) When the media (in this case, ABC) does the type of programming that is happening Wednesday night, they are using their alleged objectivity to fundamentally alter the argument. From Wednesday forward, the argument will become not "should the government be involved in health care?" but instead "what should the government do about health care?" As in the 'economic crisis' of the last few months, inaction will no longer be an option, with any action - however ill-conceived - being preferable to the people.

3) ABC is also holding up President Obama in such a way as to transfer their 'objectivity' to him, in the minds of the people. President Obama then goes from one side of the argument, to the referee of the entire argument. He no longer represents just one viewpoint among many, but strength is lent to his words by association.

4) ABC was approached about commercial time by those who disagree with President Obama's plan. Their offers to buy ad time were rejected, due to the content of their ad (which would have been critical to the Obama plan). Read the story yourself, here: www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=49720 What is funny to me is that they "have never allowed advocacy advertising" but here they are, giving an entire program over to advocacy.


And so you may well disagree with me on President Obama's plan, you may think that it is a great idea. I would encourage you to research it for yourself, and look at the results of similar plans in other countries. Like I stated above, the government running a business = disaster. The government running a business + making life & death decisions for its citizens = disaster, squared.