Dasching Through the Snow

The former Senate Majority Leader from South Dakota will soon be back. This time, Senator Tom Daschle will be the Secretary of Health and Human Services, appointed by President-Elect Obama. Universal health care will be on the top of his agenda.

In 2008 Daschle published a book (“Critical”) which outlines his thoughts on health care reform. Within the 206 pages, it is only among the last 65 that he actually proposes a plan. The first 140 pages are filled with his arguments for how awful things are currently and descriptions of past failed reform attempts. It’s the typical politician’s strategy: proclaim horror so that the people will go along with paying through the nose to end the atrocity.

A great example of this strategy working today is the “economic crisis” and the resulting bailout bonanza. When analyzed objectively, this current recession is no worse than any other we’ve ever had. The political response has been astronomically out of proportion to the situation.

By over-emphasizing that which goes wrong in health care, the new government will be able to do the same thing – scare the people into an over-encompassing, centrally controlled, and expensive health care system. The “expensive” part will be hidden in taxes, so people will not even realize how expensive it truly will be. If Daschle gets his way, this will be accomplished, in part, by establishing the “Federal Health Board”. Hold on to your hat, you’re about to be snowed.