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Pay no attention to TV ads for health care reform, Health Insurance


The new round of television commercials on health care reform essentially calling on Congress to pass health care reform but not to pay for it represents a new low in a debate that has had far too many lows. Most of the demagogic tripe has, of course, come from the republican disagreement, which seems to have abandoned all of its principles in its willingness to take over any objection that might slow the effort to achieve health insurance for all Americans. Republicans don’t even need the label conservative anymore, since they seem willing to abandon any conservative principle if they can gain a tactical advantage. Nothing, of course except that, Democrats plan to use the savings to finance health insurance for those Americans who currently don’t have any. Since the idea of health coverage is too famous to attack directly, republicans respond with demagoguery about death panels and seniors having their Medicare coverage reduced, even though they in principle favor such cuts. In the face of these irresponsible attacks, Democrats and their following interest groups had managed to stay focused on trying to design and pass a decent reform package, though with plenty of arguments about what would be the best routs to take.