Sick and Wrong: how Washington is screwing up healthcare reform- Page 2

[javero]

Posted: 9/6/09 at 2:11pm

"Corporatism is the new capitalism."

Many have argued that your assertion has been valid since the enactment of the 14th amendment. I still find it unsettling that an amendment devised to give freed slaves full citizenship under law has been usurped by the unbounded greed of USA, Inc.

Corporate personhood ranks right up there with tort reform in terms of hot potatoes that neither of the two big political parties is willing to touch. As much as many folks outside the USA hate our government, they hate the state-chartered multinational corps even more, especially when they're fronts for a certain intelligence agency. Domestic private military corporations (PMC)s have done their share of bad deeds in Latin America, Middle East and Eastern Europe since the close of WW2.

PS: Didn't mean to thread jack but some of the corps are simply out of control. In many industries there are so many barriers to entry in terms of capitalization that a sole proprietor or gasp, coop, are instantly priced out of the market. Worst still, those same small business entities don't have the war chest to outbid the corps who bribe, oops, lobby members of Congress.

I write all this to suggest that without the "public option" there is no muthafriggin reform. To me the GOP strategy is to gain seats in the House at any cost, defeat Obama/Biden in 2012 and then put forth a reform package permitting them to claim victory on the healthcare front. Their package will include compelling the states to "deregulate" insurance thereby permitting more corps to enter the lucrative insurance business in principal promoting competition in the marketplace and driving down costs.

In other words, Halliburton's embattled spinoff Highland Insurance Group will rise like a sphinx.

Updated On: 9/6/09 at 02:11 PM

[sabrelady]

Posted: 9/6/09 at 2:25pm

yup. Definately a case of "I got mine!" and keeping it means you NOT getting yours.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 9/6/09 at 2:26pm

javero, it is ironic that those who campaign against a government takeover of healthcare seem to have little concern with the corporate takeover of healthcare.

Given the choice, I would rather have the government, which is at some point accountable to all of its electorate, involved in healthcare decisions, than large corporations, who only seem accountable to their shareholders.

And, it is interesting that those who claim they want strict construction of the constitution have no problems granting rights to corporations when they were nowhere to be found in the Bill of Rights.