Paul Krugman: "'Free To Choose' Has Become 'Free To Die'"

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/opinion/krugman-free-to-die.html

OP-ED COLUMNIST
Free to Die
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: September 15, 2011

- snip -

And the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts of “Yeah!”

- snip -

The second is that very few of those who die from lack of medical care look like Mr. Blitzer’s hypothetical individual who could and should have bought insurance. In reality, most uninsured Americans either have low incomes and cannot afford insurance, or are rejected by insurers because they have chronic conditions.

- snip -

So the freedom to die extends, in practice, to children and the unlucky as well as the improvident. And the right’s embrace of that notion signals an important shift in the nature of American politics.

- snip -

And what this means is that modern conservatism is actually a deeply radical movement, one that is hostile to the kind of society we’ve had for the past three generations — that is, a society that, acting through the government, tries to mitigate some of the “common hazards of life” through such programs as Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.

MORE AT LINK

[CBHagman]

1. One of the more honest assessments I've seen.

The last few days I've mentioned that scene in the debate hall to a number of people, but frankly it's something I think every American (or anyone thinking about citizenship) ought to confront.

Anyway, thanks for posting the Krugman column. I'd not read it.

[Newest Reality]

2. DId we enter into this

"social contract" for the reason of its mutual benefits? Don't we, as a species, (due to our limitations compared to other animals) fare better in groups of mutual cooperation?

If so, then any attempt to make the benefits of our union exclusive is not only a breaking of very basic, survival-oriented agreements that have led to the complex, yet cohesive amassing of people into cities, states and nations, it is an usurping of the communal infrastructure of our society that threatens each of us to varying degrees.

Whomever as, is and will continue to benefit from what we have mutually built and allowed, while banishing vast numbers of us from the fruits of this labor, is a criminal, a rogue thief. We should not allow this grotesque orgy of robbery to continue for the sake of our commons. Sooner or later, we must bring ourselves to reckon with the perpetrators.

[shanti]

8. +1

:thumbsup:

[EmeraldCityGrl]

3. Nor can people afford to die.

The father of a friend passed away three weeks ago. He sold his body to a private
medical research firm in exchange for the cremation of his body and return of what was
left to his family. Bankrupted by healthcare costs and loss of income they couldn't afford
a funeral. My friend came home after spending the last three weeks of her father's life
with him to find out she had been replaced by one of the two jobs she works to support
herself.

The family held a beautiful memorial while hoping his remains would be returned soon.
What a vile place America has become.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. America is people-unfriendly

the sooner the Republicans are thrown out the better and the cable TV networks taken over by PBS

[Selatius]

10. To paraphrase Michael Moore: We live in a country of "me" instead of a country of "we."

As long as the wealthy get to use a megaphone to dictate to us what society should look like, we'll continue to see societal decay in the name of making life nothing more than the goal of accumulating things instead of bettering ourselves and those around us.

[PSPS]

4. Here's a link without the silly paywall

http://relevantscience.blogspot.com/2011/09/free-to-die.html

[kenny blankenship]

6. That was always implicit

[Hissyspit]

7. early morning kick nt

[Hissyspit]

9. later morning kick nt

[Juche]

11. They are only hostile when it benefits other people

Tea partiers aren't giving up their medicaid, medicare, social security or public education anytime soon. They just don't want anyone else to get them. The virtue of selfishness come to life.

Their ignorance is being exploited by plutocrats who want to eliminate those things for everyone (including the tea party), but the tea partiers themselves don't want to eliminate social programs for themselves anymore than anyone else does.

[Mimosa]

12. K&R! Krugman: "modern conservatism is actually a deeply radical movement..."

Excellent analysis, Krugman.

And some DUers will join the rightwingers to bash Paul Krugman. :(

Excellent excerpt:



And the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts of “Yeah!”

- snip -

The second is that very few of those who die from lack of medical care look like Mr. Blitzer’s hypothetical individual who could and should have bought insurance. In reality, most uninsured Americans either have low incomes and cannot afford insurance, or are rejected by insurers because they have chronic conditions.

- snip -

So the freedom to die extends, in practice, to children and the unlucky as well as the improvident. And the right’s embrace of that notion signals an important shift in the nature of American politics.

[TBF]

13. K&R nt

[phantom power]

14. very few of those who die from lack of medical care look like Mr. Blitzer’s hypothetical individual

This is another example of asking questions that implicitly support GOP framing. Blitzer's question made the entire issue seem like some kind of ant-and-grasshopper morality fable, like the old Welfare Queen straw-man from the 80s. They pick out these straw-man scenarios and sell them as being common, and base shitty anti-humanitarian policy on them.

The second is that very few of those who die from lack of medical care look like Mr. Blitzer’s hypothetical individual who could and should have bought insurance. In reality, most uninsured Americans either have low incomes and cannot afford insurance, or are rejected by insurers because they have chronic conditions.

[TacticalPeek]

15. K & R

:kick:

[blindpig]

16. Ain't nothing new, that is the 'freedom' capitalism brings.

What is the difference between now and 30 years ago, the necessities of capitalism. The working class always pays the price for a 'crisis of capitalism', and we got a big one now.

[LongTomH]

17. This needs to be kicked up.

It needs to stay on page 1 through Friday evening at least.:kick:

[Quantess]

18. Great article.

[Vinnie From Indy]

19. I love Krugman, but find it amazing that many champions of the left

seem unable or unwilling to take the next step and answer the question of why this is happening. The answer seems to be quite clear to me. The vast right wing media propaganda platform is primarily to blame. Rush Limbaugh, an army of his clones and FOX News are to blame for much of the insanity raging on the right wing. The people that cheer this stuff on are avid consumers of right wing hate media.

Until there is an effort to form a coordinated, national effort to counter right wing media through boycotts and such, this will not stop.

[Lorien]

21. Insist that the Fairness Doctrine be reinstated

problem solved. However, I find it amazing that so many on the "left" parrot RW Limbaugh talking points when it comes to this issue. The Fairness Doctrine never curbed free speech; it encouraged it by allowing all sides to have a microphone.

[malaise]

20. K & R

Great post