True Intentions

Part of the political discourse these days includes attempts by each side to convince the regular folks that the other side holds some sort of evil intent in promoting their particular position on an issue.

Take healthcare, for example.

The Left accuses the Right of somehow wanting people to die for lack of medical care. Surely only the most partisan or ignorant sycophants on the Left actually believe that. But even the President has joined in the rhetorical suggestion that Right opposition to the Left's healthcare "reform" proposals are nothing more than a big sellout to the health insurance industry.

Conversely, the Right suggests that the Left's main goal is a Socialist/Communist model where the government controls every aspect of the citizens' lives. That their version of healthcare reform is not at all about improving the access and quality of healthcare for all citizens, but is merely a power grab that is part of a much larger objective of destroying free enterprise.

I can say for certain that most opponents to the healthcare "reform" proposals oppose them because of the massive and inefficient bureaucracy it promises to create, the extremely high costs that promise to raise punitive taxes on all of the citizenry while exploding an already out-of-control budget, and the inevitable rationing of care that will result in a system that will be immediately overwhelmed by massively increased demand coupled with reduced supply of healthcare providers.

I can guess that the supporters of this proposal do not believe there's any sort of sinister plot for the government to destroy free enterprise. The supporters more likely hear the stories of people having their insurance cancelled as soon as they receive a bad diagnosis, others facing bankruptcy because they acquire an illness or injury for which they have no or inadequate insurance coverage.

Most supporters I know don't actually lack insurance, and don't even know anybody who lost their insurance when they got sick. They are fearful that it might happen to them someday. And they hear the stories so eagerly spread by supporters of the "reform" about insurance executives taking millions in bonuses, and believe it's not right for anyone to make a profit from other people's misery.

I think that among opponents to the healthcare reform movement are probably insurance company interests who will do whatever they can to keep the money train on the track. I also believe there are those on the Left that are pushing this legislation as part of a larger agenda designed to someday end with an entirely government run and controlled healthcare system.

I also believe that supporters of these "reforms" are either uninterested or dismissive of the negative details and consequences these new laws will have on either their own lives. I wonder how many of these folks will wake up a couple of years from now to realize they made a terrible mistake.

The bottom line is the same for me as with most current political issues. Our government is counting on our ignorance and gullibility as they push through an agenda none of us (except their own bureaucratic class) will appreciate once it comes to fruition.