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News & ArtsThursday, July 16, 2009
Politics Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine
Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 4:25 PM
I've heard about this record—I think I've heard clips of before, too—but I'd never heard the whole thing in its entirety. In a post on The Daily Paul titled "Soothsayer", they put up the entire ten-plus minutes of Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine. This is the record that was shipped across the country in 1961 (people held listening parties!) and, really, established Ronald Reagan as a conservative leader.
You should listen to this; it's interesting not just for its historical value, but also because most of the anti-government-run-health-care talking points are exactly the same now as they were when this was recorded. But they've lost some of their shine since Reagan pushed them. It's really a great speech, building up to a crescendo of patriotism that defies all logic.
The last line is especially memorable: "One of these days, you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what America was like when men were free." Unfortunately, in a post-Reagan presidency, with virtually no controls on health insurance, we can see that the opposite is true: Most of us aren't free to choose our health care providers; we just have to take whatever program our employers can afford. Where's the freedom there?
Anyway, my point is: I would kill to release a record called George Clooney Speaks Out for Socialized Medicine.
1
And then there's freedom from worry over how to pay for medical care and fear of going bankrupt from getting sick.
On the other hand, we have the biggest goddamn military in history so China will think twice before calling in our crushing debt. That's freedom, baby!
On the other hand, we have the biggest goddamn military in history so China will think twice before calling in our crushing debt. That's freedom, baby!
2
I would kill to release a record called George Clooney Speaks Out for Socialized Medicine.
And we'd even have to have listening parties! 'Cause how many people still have working record players!
And we'd even have to have listening parties! 'Cause how many people still have working record players!
3
Well, on whichever medium, George Clooney Speaks Out for Socialized Medicine is a great idea.
It's so ironic that movement conservative Republicans have always been railing against Hollywood, and yet their great prophet was a Hollywood actor.
It's so ironic that movement conservative Republicans have always been railing against Hollywood, and yet their great prophet was a Hollywood actor.
4
Insurance and big pharma spend BILLIONS advertising their rip offs. Most of the drugs that they have advertised for BILLIONS had to be recalled because they were KILLING PEOPLE! Ronald Reagan was an ignorant fool who dazzled stupid people. His leagacy has been a disaster for this country.
5
Remember when men were free to spend scrip wherever they liked at the company store? Don't tell me about the fucking good old days.
6
Young Ronnie was so Dashing! It looks like there should be a nice unfiltered Pall Mall in his right hand.
7
Oh hey, I spoke too soon! Regan was partial to Chesterfields:
http://whitehouse.georgewbush.org/kids/i…
http://whitehouse.georgewbush.org/kids/i…
8
Privatized medicine: the freedom to die broke.
I really don't understand all the conservative rage against the public option. The key word is option. And if private enterprise is always so much more efficient than any big gummint program, private insurers should have no trouble undercutting the public option, right? Isn't competition supposed to be a good thing?
I really don't understand all the conservative rage against the public option. The key word is option. And if private enterprise is always so much more efficient than any big gummint program, private insurers should have no trouble undercutting the public option, right? Isn't competition supposed to be a good thing?
9
@8: of course, those aren't the real principles of corporate conservatism; they're just the flags and bunting they wave as a distraction while they empty the pockets of the credulous.
10
I was under the impression that Ronald Reagan collected medicare (and social security) for decades before he popped his cogs. Funny, he wasn't against it when he needed it.
13
I received a message today from the President's organizing arm. It was a letter which began as follows:
"I'm Patricia, from Hallandale Beach, Florida (just a little north of Miami). Like you, I support President Obama, and I want to help his agenda become a reality.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I'm luckier than many -- I have insurance. But when I had to stop working because of the chemo, I could no longer afford my rapidly increasing health care insurance premiums. I went through my entire retirement savings, then had to start taking out loans from my bank to keep up. Now, with my credit drying up, I'm scared that I'll lose my home and my insurance.
This shouldn't happen in America. A bad diagnosis shouldn't have to mean that everything you've worked so hard to save, and all the plans you've made, are suddenly gone.
So that's why I'm working for real health care reform. Because no one should have to feel the anguish and fear I've felt constantly these last two years. Because this crisis needs to end -- and because I know that will only happen if each of us does our part."
All the smug opponents of "socialized medicine" should think for a moment. You're insured for as long as you work, but when you get sick and therefore can't work, you're priced into bankruptcy?
If Dante were alive and describing an updated vision of Hell, this could be it.
"I'm Patricia, from Hallandale Beach, Florida (just a little north of Miami). Like you, I support President Obama, and I want to help his agenda become a reality.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I'm luckier than many -- I have insurance. But when I had to stop working because of the chemo, I could no longer afford my rapidly increasing health care insurance premiums. I went through my entire retirement savings, then had to start taking out loans from my bank to keep up. Now, with my credit drying up, I'm scared that I'll lose my home and my insurance.
This shouldn't happen in America. A bad diagnosis shouldn't have to mean that everything you've worked so hard to save, and all the plans you've made, are suddenly gone.
So that's why I'm working for real health care reform. Because no one should have to feel the anguish and fear I've felt constantly these last two years. Because this crisis needs to end -- and because I know that will only happen if each of us does our part."
All the smug opponents of "socialized medicine" should think for a moment. You're insured for as long as you work, but when you get sick and therefore can't work, you're priced into bankruptcy?
If Dante were alive and describing an updated vision of Hell, this could be it.
15
I'm amazed that I listened to the whole thing. Having lived through the Reagan presidency, I became sensitized to that voice. That calm, cool, well rehearsed voice of good ole american common sensical idiocy.
There was nothing there but guilt by association (almost all of it) and a straw man (the bit about government payment for health care is the same as government control of health care). Any real arguments? I didn't see any.
Hell, even the modern day "but look at the waits they have in Canada" has more content than that.
But, that's just the shit that my 50 year old still living at home with mom brother eats up, complete with calendars from the Reagan Ranch. Needless to say, I don't talk politics with him.
There was nothing there but guilt by association (almost all of it) and a straw man (the bit about government payment for health care is the same as government control of health care). Any real arguments? I didn't see any.
Hell, even the modern day "but look at the waits they have in Canada" has more content than that.
But, that's just the shit that my 50 year old still living at home with mom brother eats up, complete with calendars from the Reagan Ranch. Needless to say, I don't talk politics with him.
16
i want that record so I can scratch it on my turntables... it would sound so awesome....
wikkkkaaa wikka sssosossocialism!
wikkkkaaa wikka sssosossocialism!
17
...and then Ronald Wilson Reagan suffered a long, debilitating illness and died. But at least he had that Presidential Pension to pay for it.
18
If we really want real health care reform in this country, we aren't going to get it until we target all the corporate tool senators, especially the pseudo-democrats like Baucus, and vote them out of office. They are incorrigible. The corporate government system selects its representatives for that quality. We aren't going to convince these fools to do the patriotic thing that's right for this country, before health care and military spending leave it completely broke. They simply have to go. Until then, no real reform is possible. Watch whatever comes out of congress, if anything does-- it will probably be lauded, but a few years later, it will be obvious it was just more of the same. A public option is a fraud. It is just like charter schools, designed to look like they work as legitimate public policy because their scores are higher, but only because they are subsidized by the public schools taking the students with more difficulties. The law will be set up to allow insurance co's to cherrypick the healthiest, cheapest patients, in effect meaning the public option will indirectly subsidize them, causing high public costs and then later justifying ending the "experiment" as a disaster. Public/privatized government service combinations are by their nature a subsidy to private interests. This is no different. Single payer national insurance is the only way that will work.
19
Don't know how to say this properly, in the time and the place (Belize), but: Ron Reagan Jr. is a great person, and if i knew how he's managed to keep afloat I'd be more useful meself.
20
Andy Niable: "...and then Ronald Wilson Reagan suffered a long, debilitating illness and died. But at least he had that Presidential Pension to pay for it."
For which all of us (old enough to pay taxes at the time, like my parents) had to foot the bill.
For which all of us (old enough to pay taxes at the time, like my parents) had to foot the bill.
21
@18 Go Franken... it's a start. Many of us in MN are glad to see Paul's seat in safer hands (insert joke here).
22
The fact that the American public elected this boob POTUS is going to go down in history as one of those WTF moments...
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