97 Percent of Experts Warn on Health Bill. Like Climate, GOP Simply Hates Expertise
September 22, 2017
It’s across the board. When Republicans perceive reality to have a liberal bias, they simply go into denial mode.
In this case, when a staggering array of expert organizations are warning about the consequences of the health bill currently under consideration –
Vox interviewed master Science Denier Jim Inhofe:
Jeff Stein
What’s the policy explanation for the Graham-Cassidy bill? What substantive problems does this solve?
Jim Inhofe
Well, first of all, as a general rule the states do things better than the federal government does [things]. And that is essentially what the bill is. We actually had a bill that passed, except at the last minute — as you know — we had one deciding vote against it that was unforeseen. And I think what we’re looking at right now is essentially the same thing.
It’s a stronger position for the states to be in, and generally, Republicans agree with that.
Jeff Stein
I understand what you’re saying with the states having the ability to make these decisions, but the bill doesn’t just “give states more freedom” — it also cuts federal funding to the states. So it’s not just about giving the states more control; it’s also about cutting federal expenditures, right?
Jim Inhofe
Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be — I think the efficiencies that come with transferring the funding to the states can very well make up the difference between what the federal thing would be.
A philosophical difference — you know?
Jeff Stein
No, what do you mean?
Jim Inhofe
I mean it’s more efficient when it’s done from the states, and so they can do it with less money.
Jeff Stein
Are you confident, and how do you know those savings will be close to enough to protect everyone?
Jim Inhofe
Well, nothing protects everyone.
September 22, 2017 at 12:08 pm
Climate Change? Hemorrhoids? Neighbors barking dog?
Jim Inhofe can solve anything with a snowball.
September 22, 2017 at 4:12 pm
or at least a snow job.
September 22, 2017 at 12:50 pm
And what evidence is there that states do everything better than the Federal Government?
All states do so?
Any activity?
Did the interview challenge that presumption?
September 22, 2017 at 1:44 pm
Inhofe’s responses were no stupider than those Stein got from putting similar questions to a bunch of other Republican senators. I laughed aloud several times reading the collection of interviews, but really it’s an absolute tragedy that the running of the country is in the hands of such buffoons, and that so many Americans are sufficiently poorly educated as to continue voting for them — and, we have to assume, to be unable to see the stupidity of the “solutions.”
I read somewhere this morning that the Graham-Cassidy bill musters the support of 24% of the American public. Presumably their rationale is that it wasn’t promoted by the black guy. It’s hard to think of any other reason one in four Americans might support this abomination of a bill.
September 22, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Inhofe: “Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be — ”
Stein missed the chance to follow up by asking about that, and saying that taking money from the federal government (that uses it to fund state programs) and giving it not to the states but to people who are already among the richest in the world doesn’t help anyone’s health, not the rich people, not the poor people; no one in between.
Believing that depriving of large amounts of money an organization that’s deeply in debt or barely holding on to breaking even by constantly cutting services, and at the same time increasing the number of sick people in that organization is helping the organization…that’s utter lunacy. How can anyone be so racist that they’re still voting for these people?