URLs du Jour

2006-08-22

  • A longtime claim of advocates of socialized medicine (typically euphemized as "single payer" or "universal" health care) is that we'd spend significantly less overall on care under such a system, since we wouldn't waste so much money in insurance company red tape and that nasty profit motive. This conjecture is based on the (accurate) fact that American medical spending per capita is higher than other countries where single-payer rules.

    Steve Burton does some simple math to debunk that claim. It turns out that current government spending on health care per capita is also higher than other countries—and it doesn't cover everybody. Steve's conclusion:

    … Americans are not getting their money's worth for what they are already spending on publicly funded healthcare.
    Corollary: medical socialists are delusional or dishonest if they think costs would decrease "for free" under their proposed system. The more likely outcome is drastic cutbacks in care, either by fiat or rationing. (Via Stuart Buck.)

  • Another thing that doesn't come for free is "diversity" as practiced in modern institutions of higher education. Inside Higher Ed reports that the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse is proposing a tuition increase of $1320 over three years "to diversify the student body there." This is on top of the current $5500 bill for tuition and fees, and whatever regular tuition increases might occur.

    If I were to struggle to say something good about this, I suppose it would be: at least they're being honest about the cost. Only half-honest, though, because they continue to euphemize "racially discriminatory admissions policy" as "diversity."

  • But it's not all euphemisms today at Pun Salad; from the AV Club interview with Samuel L. Jackson:
    AVC: You're doing the voice of God for an audiobook version of the Bible. How does the voice of God differ from the voice of Samuel L. Jackson?

    SLJ: Not very much.

    Didn't think so. (Via Galley Slaves.)


Last Modified 2012-10-23 1:57 PM EDT