Are American's Too Stupid to Know That They are Stupid

[Dinner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOUnLiVEddI

Embedding was disabled so there is the link.

[HalfLotus]

These very recent characterizations of "angry" and "stupid" Americans voters are the en vogue political propaganda of the left. I've noticed their frequency and intensity has increased a lot recently.

See: The Age of Stupid movie (hard left AGW viewpoint), this health care propaganda, and Tea Party smear articles which are now sprouting up faster than poppy plants in Afghanistan. All playing the "angry/stupid" card.

It works because you can easily argue that Americans are a bit of both and their is a history behind the "ignorant American" stereotype, but they skew it toward the emotional side and ignore or minimize the reasoning behind voter anger.

With both parties pissing off their base, the establishment has to keep some battle lines clearly drawn between 'left' and 'right', lest the public unite and reject their overlords.

[Dinner]

Ahhh yes. The tea baggers. Those old white guys shouting that they don't want government involved in medicare. Nope, nothing stupid or ignorant about those folks.

[MikeH]

There's some really good research into how the dumber someone is the less able they are to recognise intelligence in others, but I read it in an actual book (which had the references) which I no longer have and don't have an on-line reference, so no-one will believe me.

So if you are much smarter than someone, they will probably think you are much dumber than them.

[Elok]

Y'know, it is possible to perceive immediate self-interest and look beyond it to long-term self-interest or the greater good (which is much the same as LTSI in practice). For example, I'd probably like free health care, but I know that our government--not governments in general necessarily, but our government--is simply incapable of doing it without wasting prodigious amounts of money. And we're already wasting prodigious amounts of money, most of it borrowed. If we continue this process, we will become like Zimbabwe and the best health-care anyone can afford will be witch doctors. And it's not like we can repeal health-care, entitlements stick to the American people like a prosthesis once they're attached.

So no.

[MikeH]

OTOH you're already wasting vast amounts of money on health care through vastly inflated insurance payments.

[DinoDoc]

OTOH you're already wasting vast amounts of money on health care through vastly inflated insurance payments.

But the answer to such a percieved problem isn't the reforms that have been proposed thus far.

[rah]

I get scared whenever the legislature says compromise when talking about health plans. Compromise usually means bad for everyone in these types of circumstances.

[MikeH]

But the answer to such a percieved problem isn't the reforms that have been proposed thus far.

To be fair, I didn't say it was.

[MrFun]

Too bad you didn't notice one in what you typed.

go away

[Elok]

OTOH you're already wasting vast amounts of money on health care through vastly inflated insurance payments.

Yes, but that's non-governmental waste. If individual people go bankrupt, that's a problem. If the state goes bankrupt, that's a catastrophe.

[notyoueither]

Most other OECD countries can provide healthcare to all without going bankrupt.

[DinoDoc]

Most other OECD countries can provide healthcare to all without going bankrupt.

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/html/pa...-613index.html
However, a closer look shows that nearly all health care systems worldwide are wrestling with problems of rising costs and lack of access to care.

[OzzyKP]

The cynical view is that since Massachusetts already has a system similar to what Congress is proposing, to vote against it is clearly in their self interest, since they get the benefits of health care reform without having to foot the bill for other states.

I've seen some pundits and polls suggest that is exactly what happened in Mass.

[notyoueither]

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/html/pa...-613index.html
However, a closer look shows that nearly all health care systems worldwide are wrestling with problems of rising costs and lack of access to care.

Most are not going bankrupt. Most other countries in the developed world also have better results statistically.

It is unlikely that anyone, anywhere, gets better care than people in the US who are fortunate enough to be able to pay for the best care available, or have insurance that doesn't shirk on them to cover that care.

The point to most of the rest of us are all those who do not get reasonable care at all, and those who get screwed by your insurance industry.

I am a critic of the Canadian system. I think it has serious shortcomings and could be much better. However, I'd take the Canadian system in a heartbeat over the system in the US.