Will it kill Big Blue?
Edsall is simultaneously overestimating the policy sophistication of the white middle class and underestimating its morality. While it is true that, as Edsall points out, Obamacare is an aggressively redistributionist program that intends to shift hundreds of billions of dollars away from the middle class to the poor, I don’t think many voters have done the math on this. They are not reacting to the $455 billion in Medicare cuts that help to feed the Obamacare beast because not many people really understand how the new system is supposed to work. And at the same time, unlikely as it may sound to the finely tuned consciences of the New York Times editorial page, there are scores of millions of middle class white Americans who don’t hate minorities and would actually like to see things go better for them.
Sorry, lefties, the race card is maxed out.
and underestimating its morality
In many ways:
Instead, almost mockingly, her “Eligibility Results” came back: “Congratulations, we received and reviewed your application and determined [you] will receive the health care coverage listed below: Washington Apple Health. You will receive a letter telling you which managed care plan you are enrolled with.” Washington Apple Health is the mawkish rebranding of Medicaid in Washington state.
The page lacked a cancel button or any way to opt out of Medicaid. It was done; she was enrolled, and there was nothing to do but click “Next” and then to sign out.
…
Before ObamaCare, Medicaid was one option. Not the option. Before this, she had never been, in effect, ordered to take a handout. Now she has been forced to join the government-reliant poor, though she would prefer to contribute her two mites. The authorities behind “affordable care” had erased her right to calculate what she was willing to spend to preserve her dignity—to determine what she thinks is affordable.
The de-humanization going on here is enough to make a person cry.
She’s still free to calculate what she’s willing to spend — the U.S. Treasury accepts donations.
The de-humanization going on here is enough to make a person cry
It’s de-humanizing to offer free health insurance to poor people?
It’s dehumanizing to make once-free individuals dependent on the government.
As a practical matter, virtually everyone is dependent on the government, with or without Medicaid. Government inspects the food, makes the roads, tests the medicines, issues the tornado warnings, and of course keeps the Canadians from invading. And even if it wasn’t the government doing those things, you’d still have to depend on someone — no individual can be 100% self-reliant in a modern world.
If anything, our ability to build — and depend on — organizations larger than ourselves is part of what makes us human.
On the flip side, letting someone go without health care because they can’t afford insurance doesn’t seem particularly humane, or “humanizing”.
So in other words, shut the hell up bitch and take your medicine. Your dignity is not my concern. It would be heartless to prevent you from becoming yet another ward of the state. And our website is structured to remove any choice in the matter anyway. And by the way, your food stamps are in the mail, hope you enjoy them.
What a humane person you are Jim.