Left I on the News

One of the frequently-heard right-wing criticisms of the Democrats' health insurance "reform" proposals is that "it's a 2000-page bill!" And, per se, that criticism is exactly on point. Of course the right-wing points to that on the grounds that somewhere, secretly hidden in the bill, is the proposal which will turn the United States into a socialist country. As if.

No, the problem with the 2000 pages is "hidden in plain sight" - it's the very length of the bill. Because only under capitalism, and especially in a country like the U.S. where capitalism isn't just an economic system but a religion, could it take 2000 pages to describe the Rube Goldberg machine that is being proposed to deliver health care to Americans. A proper health care proposal, a socialist proposal, is much shorter. Much, much shorter.

Is something wrong with you, or would you like to get a checkup to make sure nothing is wrong with you? Go see a health professional and the cost is covered.

OK, I'm exaggerating. Because a real socialist health care system, as I've discussed before, has to go further than that. Are there not enough doctors, nurses, and other health professionals? Let's build more educational facilities to train them. Are there not enough hospitals and clinics? Let's build what we need. Are we spending too much on drugs? With our nationalized pharmaceutical industry, let's focus all spending on real improvements in drugs (and developing less expensive ways to manufacture them), rather than on marketing or fake improvements in drugs designed only to extend the patent life of the drugs without changing their performance in the least.

But meanwhile, just think about the meaning of "2000 pages." What a joke.