Paul Krugman: Costs and Compassion

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/opinion/24krugman.html?_r=1

Costs and Compassion


By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: July 23, 2009


The talking heads on cable TV panned President Obama’s Wednesday press conference. You see, he didn’t offer a lot of folksy anecdotes.

Shame on them. The health care system is in crisis. The fate of America’s middle class hangs in the balance. And there on our TVs was a president with an impressive command of the issues, who truly understands the stakes.

snip//

Why does meaningful action on medical costs go along with compassion? One answer is that compassion means not closing your eyes to the human consequences of rising costs. When health insurance premiums doubled during the Bush years, our health care system “controlled costs” by dropping coverage for many workers — but as far as the Bush administration was concerned, that wasn’t a problem. If you believe in universal coverage, on the other hand, it is a problem, and demands a solution.

Beyond that, I’d suggest that would-be health reformers won’t have the moral authority to confront our system’s inefficiency unless they’re also prepared to end its cruelty. If President Bush had tried to rein in Medicare spending, he would have been accused, with considerable justice, of cutting benefits so that he could give the wealthy even more tax cuts. President Obama, by contrast, can link Medicare reform with the goal of protecting less fortunate Americans and making the middle class more secure.

As a practical, political matter, then, controlling health care costs and expanding health care access aren’t opposing alternatives — you have to do both, or neither.

At one point in his remarks Mr. Obama talked about a red pill and a blue pill. I suspect, though I’m not sure, that he was alluding to the scene in the movie “The Matrix” in which one pill brings ignorance and the other knowledge.

Well, in the case of health care, one pill means continuing on our current path — a path along which health care premiums will continue to soar, the number of uninsured Americans will skyrocket and Medicare costs will break the federal budget. The other pill means reforming our system, guaranteeing health care for all Americans at the same time we make medicine more cost-effective.

Which pill would you choose?

[4dsc]

1. Single payer...

[cleveramerican]

2. I didn't come away knowing more

He didn't expand on HIS vision of how the health care system will look after he fixes it.
The vision he did share was vague.
He didn't tell me what I should do to help.
He didn't "close the deal"

[babylonsister]

3. Yawn. Your concern and constant criticism is noted.

Go do some googling to inform yourself.

[cleveramerican]

4. cause its (yawn) too much to expect

to be informed by THE PRESIDENT.
In his NATIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE ON HEALTHCARE.

I should go to the web to get informed cause everything you read online is way better than HEARING IT FROM THE PRESIDENT.

[babylonsister]

5. I thought President Obama was clear and concise, and had all the

facts at his fingertips. So did Krugman apparently. Maybe you just have a problem with understanding what you hear, if you in fact listened, which I doubt.

[cleveramerican]

6. Tell me one new thing

tell me one thing you heard in the press conference you didn't already know?
Tell me what mission you came away with?
I listened quite closely actually, maybe thats what I did wrong

[babylonsister]

7. Here's one new thing-the ignore feature on DU is brilliant!

But before I go, you need to read more and post less. There were lots of threads from that night contending that Obama was geeky in his analysis because he's so well-versed on the topic. I suggest you search them out.

And that's more easily done when you contribute to DU, fyi.

And PS, I'm not willing to do the research for you; your laziness is showing.

Bye now.

[cleveramerican]

8. I knew you would have nothing

[mkultra]

14. i think her point is that arguing with the stone is foolish

even if she made a good point, you have shown you have a great capacity for obtuse ignorance and would simply ignore. Wasting breath on such foolishness is not worthwhile.

I think the phrase to better describe is intentional ignorance.

[cleveramerican]

15. " a great capacity"

what a sweet thing to say.
I think your wrong
I am more open to your point of view than your are to mine.
I post these things because I'm among friends here
I would never post these things in republican circles
I am not the enemy.

[mkultra]

16. yes

sorry to be brutal
i think you are wrong
my mind has been open to your point but has since closed
i think you post these things out of compulsion
i have grave doubts
who could tell.

[cleveramerican]

17. I have grave doubts too

so at least we agree on that

[mkultra]

19. seems appropriate

[AuntPatsy]

18. She has something, she knows what your up to, why not do what

she says and do some research yourself for a change, pretty obvious what you have....

[mkultra]

20. yes, more research should be in his future.

[PVnRT]

9. Jeez, Krugman writes a favorable towards Obama column

and someone still feels the need to take a shit. DU at its finest.

[malletgirl02]

21. The poster

I think the poster whose post you responded to is against health care reform in general not just Krugman. Last night the same poster posted a post praising the blue dogs for holding up reform. If I don't have the right post I apologize.

[ProSense]

11. Either you're highly informed and psychic, weren't paying attention or

just willing to say anything to spin what actually took place.

I'm pretty sure you heard the questions before and knew Obama's responses before he gave them.

Regardless, if you heard nothing new, then that reflects only on you, no one else.

[mkultra]

13. your words are like mumbles in the wind

[PVnRT]

10. Prepare for some spinning heads in GD:P

Already, one poster here who just saw "Krugman" and immediately jerk their knee. I suspect there will be more of that.

[Jennicut]

12. Speaking intelligent at press conferences is still too new for the dweebs in the media to

understand. They aren't used to the level of command on the issues, it frightens them or something.

Thank You Krugman!

[depakid]

22. "it frightens them or something."

My take is that they're a feared it might make 'em actually work to understand the issues, rather than being spoonfed prefab quotes and platitudes.