Naked shilling for the rich

I have to admit I was wrong. I felt the political shit-storm of 2009 would be over Employee Free Choice, but that bill has already undergone a mercy killing by corporate Democrats. But it doesn't matter; the same fundamental dispute is at the heart of the health-care fracas namely, to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, the right of the fortunate to not be restrained in exercising tyranny over the unfortunate.

In fact, it may be a blessing that the ruling class has chosen this particular battlefield given the absolute ridiculousness of their position is visible to anyone halfway conscious. Claiming ostrich-like that the 'Murican health care system is da best in the world while Europe and Canada keep the elderly in pens fed with gruel is now roughly the equivalent of saying that Jesus is green unicorn cheese. Yet they push on, feeding their paranoid authoritarian followers with even more absurd hysterics: "Obama gon' kill yo' granny!" Now, apparently, the Gummit is going to going to control all of your bank accounts! This is 9/11 Trooferism elevated to the status of essential debate.

Ah, the Gummit, the Gummit. I've noticed the Gummit started being the bad guy again on or about January 20, 2009. Which is odd, because Obama has never really stopped doing any of the things right-wingers want the Gummit to do; kill Muslims, spend on "defense," eavesdrop wantonly, and erect a wall around information in the name of national security. Suggest that the Gummit could serve the interest of someone other than American business and wealthy straight white men and suddenly you've got a bona fide leeee-getimiate revolution on your hands. Let freedom ring! And such. What is it about the Gummit that makes it so much more ominous and malicious, even when private industry is already doing the very things that hysterics believe are imminent with Gummitcare?

Of course, freedom isn't working out so well for the 50 million citizens without health insurance. But no matter, they deserve it for being poor. And if Jesusamerica decided they deserved to have health insurance, then they would. They certainly shouldn't use their voting rights to elect a government to give them healthcare; that would be voting themselves money they didn't earn. After all, the moneyed classes never vote in their own economic interest; that would just be class warfare, comrade.

Not only that, why, those longsuffering Americans would rather die than have Gummit interference in their health care! What patriots! Now, it's true that their house is burned down, the mail hasn't come in years, and they can't drive on a public highway or take public transit, so it's not likely they've got much of a life left. But they died free, and with their hands off of my money, so we should salute them.