Thread by @bansisharma

1. On Universal Health Care

I deeply respect advocacy for universal health care. My objection is only to those politicians who do it under false pretenses, and thus make people fight over diversionary nonsense rather than discuss and debate important and substantive issues.

2. Two of the most deceitful shibboleths are: (a) universal health care can be implemented without a massive increase in middle class taxes (an increase which may be justified and should be argued for honestly), and (b) calling it a fundamental right (another falsehood).

3. As for health care being a right, there is no fundamental right to other people's purse or labor. I believe aiming for universal health care is a right thing to do. But not every 'right thing to do' is a right.

4. As for the cost, just so you know, every Western country which has implemented universal health care collects 2-3 times in taxes (as a percentage of GDP) compared with the U.S. and none of those countries has to spend anywhere near as much on defense as the United States does.

5. There's no path to universal health care without massive middle class tax increases. The difference between other Western countries and the United States: Citizens in those countries are comfortable with a high level of national taxation, whereas Americans are not ... so far.

6. Americans don't trust the government enough to put it in charge of half of U.S. economy instead of the one-fifth that it currently is. Other countries don't mind (primarily because they are smaller and are already dependent on their govt and the U.S. for so much).

7. Which societal stance is better and why? That is something worth arguing over. It will take a lot of thoughtful discussion and debate to change hearts and minds in either direction. That is the real debate. There's no short cut. Leave the sloganeering to politicians.

The End