Ruth Marcus writes: > ... But let’s assume the critics on the > left are correct, and that insurers are only pretending to be unhappy > with the Senate bill in order to lure lawmakers into passing it—at > which point (actually, in 2014) they’ll be able to pounce on millions > of new customers.
Marcus doesn't understand politics at all: the insurers are pushing against the health-insurance reform bill because the more they push, the more it's compromised in their favor. They aren't "pretending to be unhappy" with the bill. They _are_ unhappy, because it's not as good as it could be for them. And they know that they can do better. > ... History teaches that, once in place, entitlement > programs tend to become more generous, not less. The approach to > programs that do not work as intended is to lubricate their operations > as Congress does best—by spending more money. ... Entitlement programs get more generous over time? how about welfare? AFDC became much _less_ generous when it morphed into TANF. And Congress has been been very good at cutting civilian programs when they feel like it. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
