Truth, Lies and In Between

This boondoggle that the idiots in Washington are trying to do is another shot at killing America and the American way of life. If this and the rest of ObiWonBaMoron’s economy killing scheme passes, that would mean the government would have control of over 50% of the economy, as well as a huge portion of our freedoms. Not the America I fought for.

Myths About Socialized Medicine
By Evan Sumortin

As the debate on healthcare reform heats up in Congress, many pundits from both sides are barraging the American people with seemingly contradictory statistics and evidence. One side claims that American healthcare is inferior to other government-run systems, while others are declaring our medical care the World’s best. These widely disparate views make it difficult for the average American to distinguish truth from propaganda. In his recent book, Applied Economics (2009 edition), Thomas Sowell separates facts from fallacies. He convincingly dispels several myths surrounding socialized medicine that are perpetuated by its proponents:

Myth #1: A Government-run medical care system will bring down the cost.

According to Sowell, “A confusion between prices and costs has allowed politicians in various countries to be able to claim to be able to bring down the cost of health care, when in fact they only bring down the individual patient’s out-of-pocket costs… The costs themselves are not reduced in the slightest when additional money to pay for these costs is collected in taxes or insurance premiums and routed through either government or private bureaucracies… add[ing] to the cost of medical treatment.”

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As long as we are quoting Thomas Sowell, let’s toss one in here that he wrote:

Medical Care Confusion
By: Thomas Sowell

Is there a coherent argument for government-controlled medical care or are slogans and hysteria considered sufficient?

We hear endlessly about how many Americans don’t have health insurance. But, if we stop and think– which politicians hope we never do– that raises the question as to why that calls for government-controlled medical care.

A bigger question is whether medical care will be better or worse after the government takes it over. There are many available facts relevant to those crucial questions but remarkably little interest in those facts.

There are facts about the massive government-run medical programs already in existence in the United States– Medicare, Medicaid and veterans’ hospitals– as well as government-run medical systems in other countries.

None of the people who are trying to rush government-run medical care through Congress before we have time to think about it are pointing to Medicare, Medicaid or veterans’ hospitals as shining examples of how wonderful we can expect government medical care to be when it becomes “universal.”

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From the CATO Institute we have this little nugget:

Perils of Obamacare: The Three Big Lies
by Michael D. Tanner

In making his case for a government takeover of the US health-care system, President Obama is going far beyond the usual Washington truth-stretching.

Take a look at just a few of the most common claims:

“If you like your current health-care plan, you can keep it.” Even White House spokesmen have said that Obama’s oft-repeated pledge that you can keep your current insurance isn’t meant to be taken literally. The reality is that millions of Americans — perhaps most Americans — will be forced to change insurance plans…

First, the president supports an individual mandate — a requirement that every American buy health insurance. And not just any insurance but insurance that includes all the benefits government thinks you should have. That insurance could be more expensive or include benefits that people don’t want or are morally opposed to, such as abortion services.

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