See boys and girls, this attitude is why we haven't had an independent President since the first George W, and the major parties get to take states for granted.
Oh, such a masterful counterpoint, ye king of political debating.
To the point; yeah, I'd rather vote Dean than Kerry, since I'm essentially resigned to the fact that the government will never, ever stop spending money. But I'd rather vote Kerry than Bush.
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Stormbringer wrote:If those were the only choice, I wouldn't vote.
Dean I would have been more than happy to vote for had he not abandoned his fiscal responsibility. Unfortunately he didn't show any interest in that and was talking about some fairly hefty social welfare programs.
Since universally-available socialized medicine is actually more economically efficient than our system, that's a very dubious claim.
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Stormbringer wrote:If those were the only choice, I wouldn't vote.
Dean I would have been more than happy to vote for had he not abandoned his fiscal responsibility. Unfortunately he didn't show any interest in that and was talking about some fairly hefty social welfare programs.
Since universally-available socialized medicine is actually more economically efficient than our system, that's a very dubious claim.
It can be, but then again what US government social program has been efficiently managed and well run? Medicare and Medicaid are trainwreck; the odds of this being much better are slim. I don't at all disagree that it could and should be a good system; hell there are places where it works. However I remain unconvinced that the government could adequately finance the system. Dean's plan was not solid enough and the fact that he didn't make fiscal discipline a genuine issues worried me.
Stormbringer wrote:It can be, but then again what US government social program has been efficiently managed and well run? Medicare and Medicaid are trainwreck; the odds of this being much better are slim.
They also exist in a system which is designed around the chaotic and often - DELIBERATELY - mutually contradictory needs of private insurers.
And to answer your question:
Hmm, let's see... can't think of anything (rural electrification)... no, nothing at all (Interstate Highway system)... Nope, not one US government social program has ever been efficiently executed (child welfare services)... Never in the history of the US government (National Industrial Recovery Administration)...
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The interstate highway system was a military program that happens to benefit civilians. One of the big strengths of the Roman Empire was its roads, and that still is partly applicable today.
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Stormbringer wrote:It can be, but then again what US government social program has been efficiently managed and well run? Medicare and Medicaid are trainwreck; the odds of this being much better are slim.
They also exist in a system which is designed around the chaotic and often - DELIBERATELY - mutually contradictory needs of private insurers.
Which means they haven't been financial disasters how? Oh wait, they have been.
Iceberg wrote:And to answer your question:
Hmm, let's see... can't think of anything (rural electrification)... no, nothing at all (Interstate Highway system)... Nope, not one US government social program has ever been efficiently executed (child welfare services)... Never in the history of the US government (National Industrial Recovery Administration)...
And gee whiz, most of those are public works projects (and decades past ones) not social welfare programs.
Beowulf wrote:The interstate highway system was a military program that happens to benefit civilians. One of the big strengths of the Roman Empire was its roads, and that still is partly applicable today.
And even then the interstate's a headache and major problem for any number of states.
