Iowa Liberal

The public is ready, and as should be a surprise to no one, cops are calling for an end too. Peter Suderman hat tip here.

But just wait until the Birthers/Deathers get a hold of that cause. “Barack Hussein Soetero is a pot-smoking coke-snorting Negro trying to get in your daughter’s pants!” will be the general vibe. And the Drug War will rage on.

-jb

Kent Conrad has been doing some mouthing off about the public option without knowing what he’s talking about.

In short: No Democrat in their right mind with any hope for surviving a primary would filibuster the public option, and Conrad sure as hell can’t claim there aren’t at least 50 Democrats who will vote for the bill if it has a public option.

So what the hell does he think he’s doing, besides earning some HMO campaign donations? Is he scared of being called teh Nazi for expanding Medicare?

-jb

Palin/Bachmann 2012!

-mg

A lot of rightwing rhetoric about health care depends on people in countries with socialized medicine to not be listening or able to have their defense heard over here in the states. Mostly content to sit and stare at America’s insanity with bemusement, some Brits are finally starting to hit back at misinformation campaigns.

Every Briton is registered with his or her own family doctor, whom they can see when they need — without paying a fee. These doctors are independent contractors to the health service and are recognized and rewarded for quality in their compensation — so they can focus on what works, not just what pays. Expanding on the facilities that are already in place, by next year every community in England will have a physician’s office open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the year, and you can simply walk in and see a doctor, for free, regardless of whether you are registered.

In the unfortunate instance that a patient is diagnosed with a dire disease, such as cancer, it often takes only a week or two for a patient to be seen by all the right specialists, complete all the required diagnostic tests and be ready for surgery or other interventions. This rivals the best care in the United States or anywhere else in the world.

Under our NHS constitution, patients have a legal right to choice of provider. That means any provider — public, private or not-for-profit.

Furthermore:

Standing in defense of Britain’s health service does not mean that we believe it is the right prescription for the United States. It is not for us to propose the solution for America, but we hope that correcting the record on some of the facts about our NHS will help Americans evaluate the real strengths and challenges of our system, instead of focusing on the misinformation spread by fear-mongers. Indeed, none of the proposals for reform — from President Obama or anyone else — would create a system that resembles that in Britain.

If people want to debate, then we must ask precisely that of them: Real debate, where facts are checked and bullshit is laid out in the open. A real debate, where you get caught lying and you have to stop (good example here). A real debate, where the truth will determine what happens next.

-jb

If only Obama had proposed a new war instead. The media could salivate over the prospects like they did before Iraq, when Wolf Blitzer excitedly unveiled our new weapons of war.

-jb