Reason Writers Around Town: Shikha Dalmia on Obama, Race, and Health Care Reform

In her latest Forbes column, Reason Foundation Senior Analyst Shikha Dalmia writes:

[I]f Obama wants to regain the momentum on health care reform, he will have to do more than just refrain from impugning the motives of his opponents. He will actually have to listen to them and do what he said he would during his campaign: put affordable coverage within the grasp of more Americans without forcing them to purchase it, without raising their taxes, and without breaking the federal bank.

Read all about it here.

Comments

[Gilbert Martin]

" [I]f Obama wants to regain the momentum on health care reform, he will have to do more than just refrain from impugning the motives of his opponents. He will actually have to listen to them and do what he said he would during his campaign: put affordable coverage within the grasp of more Americans without forcing them to purchase it, without raising their taxes, and without breaking the federal bank."

Obama can't do that because what he says he's going to do is never what he really intends to do.

And what he intends to do is exactly the same thing in every one of his policy proposals, be it healthcare, cap & trade, education, etc. - and that is redistribute wealth from people he doesn't want to have it (because he doesn't think they "really" own it) and give it to people he does want to have it - i.e the tradiitional constituencies of the democrat party.

[Attorney]

He seemed then to be a genuinely different kind of candidate, heterodox and capacious

You mean, like William Howard Taft?

[Parents Rights / Marine Patrio]

In agreement with Gilbert on this one - "healthcare reform" is actually just a plan to redistribute wealth away from hard working folks to the traditional Demon Rat Party constituency (i.e. welfare ghetizans). Why the heck should I or anyone else subsidize some welfare queen and her brood's healthcare? They need to get a job! My guess though is that The One will continue to call his opponents racists instead of addressing our legitimate concerns.

[Hazel Meade]

In addition, he might actually try implementing some of our ideas. Like letting insurance companies compete across state lines.

[?]

Cosmo types are capaciously and orthodoxly dumb.

[GILMORE]

Parents Rights / Marine Patriot | September 23, 2009, 4:58pm | #
In agreement with Gilbert on this one - "healthcare reform" is actually just a plan to redistribute wealth away from hard working folks to the traditional Demon Rat Party constituency (i.e. welfare ghetizans).

I didnt realize Parents Rights was a big D&D nerd!:

Demon Rat (Tiny Outsider Animal Walker - 40 XP): Str 6, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 10; SZ T (1x1, Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. ground; Init IV; Atk III; Def III; Res IV; Comp I; Health V; Skills: Sneak IV; Qualities: Darkvision II, improved sense (scent), light-sensitive, swarm
Attacks/Weapons: bite II (dmg 1d4-2 lethal, threat 17-20; bleed)
Treasure: 1T

This little skulker is pretty good at hiding in tight, dark places, waiting for some hapless do-gooders to wander by. Individually, a demon rat isn't much of a worry; its bite attack does a tiny amount of damage. With the swarm quality, however, demon rats can gang up on a single target and potentially dish out quite a bit. This quality lets multiple creatures perform a single combined attack with a total bonus to hit equal to the number of creatures in the swarm. On a hit, the attack's damage is multiplied by half the number of creatures