Kelly moderates his hyperbole, somewhat ...

As I have often done, I am taking a look at today's column from one particular conservative columnist, Jack Kelly at the mostly otherwise moderate/liberal Post-Gazette. Kelly still has his snarky tone, comparing the terms "new deal", "fair deal" (a Truman term) and "big f-ing deal" (which Kelly accurately attributes to Biden). But he sort of redeems of his past excesses with this phrase in his fourth paragraph "Obamacare, on the other hand, is detested by many if not most Americans". Not a majority? Not all? It must have nearly killed Kelly to admit that the polls don't absolutely show a majority of Americans opposed to health care reform.

On the other hand, if they are being honest, liberals should get used to phrases like "slim majority" or even "slim plurality" in conjunction with all things Obama. Actually it is a testament to the continuing weariness of that huge mass of working Americans that they (we) have had much more trouble getting ahead, not to say just keeping up. The actual health care bill is a sort of a poor copy of what apparently the Swiss have. And by the way, the Swiss are second only to us in terms of per capita on health care. Therefore, I suspect that as this bill is implemented, US spending per capita will drop, but will settle at a level still higher than every other industrial country (if not ever country period). Americans do have reason to be suspicious.

Unfortunately Jack Kelly is a poor spokesman for the other side. Instead of focusing on shortcomings in terms of what it is supposed to do, Kelly focused on how the cost will bankrupt the country, and that is might be unconstitutional. Even if the HCR bill does some of what it is supposed to do, it will pay for itself pretty well, and unless the Supreme Court thinks it is a good idea during a Democrat administration to re-write the constitution (they were willing to do that in 2000, but that resulted in a Republican administration).

Here's hoping there will be an on point debate that starts sometime soon. I'm hoping but I'm not optimistic.