Wittman doesn't get it

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				THE
Column Archive				VIRGINIA GAZETTE
				WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA
Wittman doesn’t get it				August 26, 2009

In his “Republic,” Plato came to the conclusion that the only way out of the political morass created by a democratic state inhabited by an uninformed public and infested with demagogic politicians was to establish a state run by highly educated, apolitical leaders, at the head of which would be what he called a philosopher king.

While Plato’s utopian ideals were far from practical and impossible to implement, he was certainly prescient when it came to his disdain for the corrupt political machinations that had wormed their way into the Athenian brand of democracy.

Nor was he amused by contemporary political and philosophical trends that emphasized winning arguments and votes by using persuasive techniques that led to blatantly false conclusions.

That things haven’t changed much over the centuries is hardly unexpected, given the attraction of human nature to political power. And yet the present debate about health care seems to have gone far beyond mere demagoguery to the point of knighting gross misinformation and misleading argumentation.

It was indeed disturbing to find that our own congressman, Rep. Rob Wittman (R), had boarded the same ship of fools that’s floating other Republicans upon a sea of gnarled logic and fanciful screeds about the health care reforms working their way though Congress.

In a Web note to his constituents called “Principles on Health Care Reform,” Wittman claims that his aim is to “protect Americans from being forced into a new government-run health care plan that would eliminate health care coverage that more than 100 million Americans currently receive through their job.” Nor does he want to limit the choice of doctors and treatment options or allow the federal government to take complete control of health care.

To begin with, no American would be forced to enroll in the public option health care plan. Nor, unless the plan is opened to all employers, which is highly unlikely, would it eliminate coverage now being offered by most companies.

If you’re happy with your present health care plan offered by a private insurer or through your workplace, keep it.

What the public option would provide is an alternative to private insurance plans that some may find overly expensive or limiting in terms of medical choices. It would also offer a point of entry to those turned down by private insurers because or pre-existing conditions.

As for limiting your choice of doctors or treatments, this is already the case, as many involved with bureaucratic private insurers have discovered. Private companies will invariably insist on cheaper, frequently ineffective, treatments over more costly recent breakthroughs that could save lives.

That the public option would be the precursor of a total government takeover of health care is pure rubbish, though both Medicare and Medicaid are government-run programs, and there are few who would acquiesce in their demise.

What is so totally bizarre about Wittman’s position are his pontifications about “letting Americans who like their health care plans keep it, and give all Americans the freedom to choose the plan that best suits their needs.” We must “ensure that medical decisions are made by parents and doctors, not government bureaucrats.”

Well, hello?

This is exactly what the present reforms propose. All Americans will be able to keep or enroll in whatever plan, public or private, best suits their needs. What won’t be allowed is for private insurers to refuse coverage to those with health risks or previous conditions. And price gouging for certain procedures will be a thing of the past. If that’s what government bureaucrats are proposing, more power to them.

Given Wittman’s voting record on other issues dealing with government funding for health care, his stand on the present reform package is not unexpected.

Since he’s been in office, Wittman has voted against a bill to reform food safety globally and another that would, in addition to dealing with malaria and tuberculosis, prevent 12 million new HIV infections worldwide and support those already infected, including 5 million orphans.

Though this was a program supported by President Bush, Wittman finds it not at all to his liking.

Nor did he care for a bill that would extend health care coverage to those with mental illnesses or in substance abuse treatment. Or another that would enhance the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by extending coverage to low-income pregnant women.

While I have no problem with anyone who opposes the present reform bill on fact-driven conservative grounds, I have great difficulty with those who concoct bogus bugaboos and engage in outlandishly misleading pronouncements.

Like Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank, who recently was accused by a town hall questioner of engaging in Nazist behavior, you have to wonder what planet these people have been living on.

Word has it that Wittman has been circulating in a very wobbly orbit around planet Palin.