Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Fleeting Moment Of Transparency

Through all the murkiness and obfuscation of "the most transparent administration in history", we have learned little of the man or his intentions, despite the signs that abound. Yesterday however, in a rare appearance sans his trusty teleprompter, Obama slipped up in trying to use an analogy in defense of his health care dreams.

Seeking to assuage concerns that a government-run health care system would drive insurance companies out of business, the One had this to say:

"I think private insurers should be able to compete. They do it all the time. I mean, if you think about, if you think about it, um, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. Right? The, uh, no they are. I mean, it's the post office that's always having problems".
If thinking that an admission that government could screw up health care just as well as it has the Post Office is some form of assurance to the people, Obama achieved just the opposite. It would appear that the one thing about Obama of which we can be certain is that extemporaneous speaking is not his forté.

While I have joined the chorus of late in warning of the inherent dangers of this overreaching administration, coupled with a compliant Congress, there is more reason besides the spectre of tyranny at work in this universal health care debacle that needs consideration.

Aside from Obama's parapraxis yesterday, one must recall the discovery of the terrible negligence at Walter Reed Army Hospital, yet another shining example of how the government runs things. Add to that, visions of the Department of Motor Vehicles style health care, where you go through the line only to receive a ticket bearing something like "E278", and then waiting for the bright signs to match your ticket, enduring whatever pain all the while.

Consider the words carefully of Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel - who also happens to be the brother of White House strongman, Rahm Emanuel - who said:
"Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others" (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008).
Consider also that an entity that believes spending more and faster is the best way to avoid bankruptcy now advocates for financial savings over human life, and it becomes quite clear that there is little they would deem heinous in their dealings with their constituents.

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