Well this was a cute post, by Andrew Sullivan at Daily Dish: “Lethal Politics of the Opt-Out Public Option” (see link below).

His message:  Senator Reid’s Opt-Out Public Option is lethal, “[i]magine Republicans in state legislatures having to argue and posture against an affordable health insurance plan for the folks, as O’Reilly calls them, while evil liberals provide it elsewhere.”

This is ridiculous.  If this is the case, hell let’s just Opt-Out of this whole discussion considering there isn’t anything stopping one single state from creating its very own Government Option in the first place.  In fact, Massachusetts has the Government Option… ohhhh but we’re not allowed to even bring up the lack of success there… Government Health Care Option in Action (oh and believe me IT SHOWS).

That is something I’m surprised hasn’t gotten more attention, not some half-way attempt at manipulating the argument for “States Rights” with FEDERAL Legislation… If that’s your argument, then hey you got it!  We can all Opt-Out of this whole debate, because there is no requirement for Federal Legislation for a state to create its own Government Option.

 I love where he says, if Reid’s Bill was passed into law, there will have to “be a debate in every state in which Republicans… will presumably decide to deny their own voters the option to get a cheaper health insurance plan”.  Again, if this is the debate to be had, Reid’s Bill is irrelevant.  Bring the debate now, without Reid’s Bill.  Second, no politician is “denying” anybody “a cheaper health insurance plan” any more than they’re denying “their own [voters’]” families an all expenses paid vacation every year, for relaxation & recovery from work.  Third, who in the hell is asking their legislators to “pretty please give me a cheaper health insurance plan”?  Why not ask for cheaper rent too?!

He then asks whether the GOP would be pressured into the Government Option, when the people see other states enacting it.  This, too, is a crock – otherwise Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, & New York, at the VERY LEAST, would have been pressured into the Government Option by now, being so close to Massachusetts.

You want to know what would really happen if this Opt-Out Government Option happened?  2 to 3 years after implementation, it wouldn’t be the voters outside looking in at the Government Option asking “why can’t I have what they’re having?”, it would be the people inside looking out at everyone else asking “why can’t [I, my mom, my grandmother, my child, etc] get the [treatment, operation, quality of care, etc] that everyone outside of my state is getting?”  That would be the question we would be hearing!

So go ahead, if this is such a “Lethal” strategy, you don’t even need Reid’s Bill or any Federal Bill to start the movement.  Hell, I say if you need health care move to Massachusetts – I hear its Utopia up there!

The argument against entitlements is simple:  You’re entitled to Life, Liberty, & the pursuit of your own happiness.  That is the most level playing field on the face of this Earth, in ALL of history! 

Then in closing he praises the Government Option Opt-Out idea because, “ it [can] make “liberalism’ popular again; it has… demonized… the health insurance industry; and… forces Republicans not to rail against socialism in the abstract but to oppose actual benefits for the working poor in reality.”  That’s the difference between Progressives & Conservatives – Conservatives don’t have to present our idea under a veil or deceit and here’s the reason: Not only does socialism KILL, but it has to be “imposed” on people, whereas its  impossible to “impose” Freedom on anyone, because it naturally exists until something is imposed!

Mmm!  Mmm!  Mmm!

Jason Bradley, thanks for reading.

© 2009 ExcellenceInAmerica.com

Reference:  Sullivan, Andrew.  “Lethal Politics of the Opt-Out Public Option”. The Daily Dish.  27 Oct 2009.  Retrieved 27 Oct 2009. < http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/10/the-lethal-politics-of-the-optout-public-option.html >.

Related:  MichelleMalkin “The State Opt-Out Mirage”