This page was last updated on March 10, 2010.
Insurance industry’s money paying off; William G. Horter; Beaver County Times; March 7, 2010.
When Mr. Horter isn’t bashing Republicans in general, and former President Bush specifically, he tries to push a taxpayer-funded, government-run healthcare system (some examples are here, here, here, and here) on U.S. citizens. As time has progressed, Mr. Horter has increasingly resorted to name-calling and personal attacks, especially in his comments on the Times website. Since I don’t know Mr. Horter, I don’t know if he actually believes all the stuff he writes or if he just likes to stir things up. If I were the type to run a disinformation campaign, I’d invent someone like Mr. Horter. After all, the image Mr. Horter projects is a caricature of the stereotypical lefty. I have to believe a large number of lefties cringe whenever they read a comment or letter from Mr. Horter. I know I cringe whenever I read a Horter-quality comment from an alleged righty. Then again, perhaps I’ve overestimating lefties. <g>
Mr. Horter used to be one of our local Republican impersonators (The group also includes Messrs. William A. Alexander, Arthur Brown, Edward “Fellow Republicans” Hum, and George Reese.) who write claiming to be disgruntled Republicans. In June 2008 Mr. Horter wrote, “So after 50 years of being a Republican, I have changed my party. I am now a Democrat.”
History also shows you need to do your own due diligence regarding the “facts” Mr. Horter presents in his letters and the comments he posts on the Times website. Here’s just one example.
Along with other letter writers I’ve mentioned, I wish Mr. Horter could get a regular column in the Times.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“And so they assembled, the top whizbangs of our government at the Blair House contemplating health insurance.
“From President Barack Obama to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, to U.S. Rep. John Boehner, none of them seemingly had a clue. All of them, as U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner said, ‘wholly owned subsidiaries of the insurance companies.’”
[RWC] Yet another inaccuracy by Mr. Horter. Mr. Weiner (on the House floor) actually said, “The Republican Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry.” Mr. Weiner later added in a Daily Kos entry, “I have never met a single Republican who is not a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry.” Mr. Weiner never mentioned Democrats, not even Mr. Obama. As is his M.O., Mr. Weiner simply made a partisan, demonizing accusation that meant he didn’t need to debate the issues.
“Better we had loaded all of them onto an airplane off to Canada to learn how health care for all should be run.”
[RWC] Yeah, they might have passed Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams his way to Florida for heart surgery.
“Unless and until insurance companies are taken out of our health-care system, nothing will happen with cost, or with the millions we have uninsured.
“Single-payer is the only answer. It’s cheaper by half and insures all.”
[RWC] Even if it were true, do we choose a healthcare system simply because “It’s cheaper by half and insures all?” My objective is the best combination of healthcare accessibility, choice, quality, timeliness of treatment, et cetera at the best price with maximum individual liberty. Government-run, taxpayer-funded monopolies don’t do this.
“But what system was banished from the talks on health care from the get-go? Single-payer.”
[RWC] “Single-payer” is Mr. Horter’s euphemism for a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly.
“I think we all deserve better, and since the rest of the world has it figured out long ago, it’s not a mystery.”
[RWC] As my parents asked when I was a kid, would you jump off a bridge just because someone else did?
“There are some who know about this, but they were not invited - John Conyers, David Kucinich, Bernie Sanders, Weiner and others. It was a sham, a kabuki theater.”
[RWC] As a big admirer of Mr. Kucinich (He supported Mr. Kucinich in the 2008 presidential primary.), you would expect Mr. Horter to know his first name is Dennis, not David.
There were plenty of Democrats in attendance who believe in a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly, including Mr. Obama, VP Joe Biden, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) among others. Their challenge is they know a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly will never come close to passing Congress all at once, not even in the House. Their strategy is to get what they can and then keep coming back to get more until eventually they have their government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly.
“Our own Jason Altmire is another bought-and-paid-for subsidiary. It seems once a health-insurance lobbyist, always a friend of the insurance companies.”
[RWC] If you’re familiar with Mr. Horter’s body of work, you know he believes there is no such thing as principled opposition to his positions. In Mr. Horter’s mind, if you have a differing opinion, it’s because you’re stupid, bought off, et cetera. That means Mr. Horter can dismiss differing opinions without engaging in a real debate based on economics, facts, history, logic, et cetera.
For more information on this topic, please read my paper entitled “Healthcare.”
© 2004-2010 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.