Posted by
voice_of_reason on Friday, August 21, 2009 9:00:00 AM
Note: sorry about the weird fonts -- the TH editor appears to have a mind of its own!
Democrats claim that the "astroturf mob" is not engaging in a reasonable debate at townhall meetings. Here are two reasonable questions which I would ask, given a chance:
Question: Can you explain why food - produced in America's mostly free market - is abundant, cheap and of fairly good quality -- while Health Care (in your view) needs Govt intervention?
The response, from President Obama (or from his House/Senate colleagues) is likely to be:
* well, there is hunger in America as well. And, we do have Food Stamps and other Govt aid for hungry families.
- but, Mr. President, surely you aren't advocating a mandatory Public Option for food as well?
* Health Care in America is dictated by Big Business - those darn Insurance Companies - who are out to screw the consumers
- but, Mr. President, food, in America, is also produced by Big Business - a target of hate by you pro-big-Govt Statists. So, in that sense, it is not materially different from Health Care.
* Health Care should be a basic human right. {Insert tear-jerk story here}
- but, Mr. President, following that argument, wouldn't food be a more basic human need than Health Care?
The answer, which you will not get, is that Govt intervention [in the form of Medicare, Medicaid] disrupted the Health Care market since the time of LBJ's Great Society. From that moment, the die was cast. Prices began to outpace inflation after 1965. Along the way, our Govt has passed legislation that led to more disruptions in the market, including HMOs and other mandates & 'regulations' that crippled healthy competition. But rather than recognizing (and then reversing) our mistakes, we are told that we need ... a Greater Society!
Question: Can you explain why Govt intervention in education has not given us high-quality, cost-effective Public Education?
The response, from President Obama (or from his House/Senate colleagues) is likely to be:
* well, we need to pay our teachers better. {applause from everyone - for this polls well with the Focus Groups}
- but, Mr. President, won't this drive UP the cost of Public Education?
* well, I'm in favor of reforming Public Education as well
- but, Mr. President, our 50+ year experiment in Public Education has had many reforms, enacted by well-intentioned folks like yourself. Isn't it time to admit that - despite all of our good intentions - Central Planning does not work?
* Education should be a basic human right. {Insert tear-jerk story here}
- but, Mr. President, don't you see where that kind of reasoning gets you? Don't you see that the good outcomes that are produced cheaply by the incentives of a free market cannot come from well-intentioned Central Planning?
The answer, which you will not get, is that incentives trump intentions. Govt should either (a) get out of the way ..or.. if absolutely necessary (b) make policy that does not tamper with the incentives.
But, we elect leaders who can speak eloquently about intentions, conveniently ignoring the reality of incentives. To quote the immortal words of Rev. Wright, "America's chick-kens ... are com-ming home to roost"