Contents

This rally was organized by the Colorado Springs Colorado Action Network (Colorado Springs CAN). Jessica Lawyer and Sherrie Smith are with Cardboard Cory, who is "on tour" in August. Amy Gray and others are also in the core group.

Introduction
Republican Dedication
Republicans Don't See Healthcare as a Human Right
The Republican View of "Freedom"
Economics Supports Single Payer: Adverse Selection & Positive Externalities
The U.S. Constitution
Repubican Pinto Plans
Single-Payer Health Insurance isn't "Leftist"

Introduction

This is National Heroes Week. The activists at Colorado Springs Colorado Action Network organized this rally. They are heroes. They're amazing. They're RELENTLESS. They're creative. Even Cardboard Cory thinks so. Thank you! [... there was applause! :-)  ]

I'm going to talk about how this fight over health insurance isn't over. I'm going to explain why the Republican view of "freedom" isn't freedom at all. The economics of health insurance. The Constitutional basis for it. And why Single Payer isn't a "leftist" policy; it's simply pragmatic. Republicans opposing it aren't "far right"; Republicans are "Far Wrong".

Republican Dedication

Despite the failure of their "Skinny Repeal", this fight isn't over. Republicans themselves say the effort to destroy Obamacare is not over. They are dedicated to 23M more Americans not having health insurance which, according to statistics, will result in ~200,000 more American deaths.

Here's some of what they've said.

Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk: "We're not going to stop what we're doing just because of one setback. We're not going to raise the white flag and surrender".

Paul Ryan "we should not give up"

Rep Darrell Issa: "In a nutshell, there is a decision of whether you believe in the free market and competition or whether you believe in Stalin-type socialism"

Their goal is to kill the PPACA or "let it implode". The first is obviously clear; the latter if false. Actually. they are sabotaging the PPACA.

This statement by Darrel Issa is pure insanity. It's not really even "socialism", much less "Stalin-type socialism". I'm going to explain that Single Payer is merely practical and that it logically should not be seen as either "left" nor "right".

Does anyone recall the movie, Fatal Attraction? You think it's DEAD, but like Glenn Close, but it rises again to try to kill. They want those tax cuts no matter how many lives it costs.

Republicans Don't See Healthcare as a Human Right

Liberals most often talk about morality calling for health care for everyone. This holds no sway for Republicans, "conservatives" and especially, Libertarians.

The "Invisible Hand" feedback structure of markets. Figure 5-26 of Business Dynamics, Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World by John Sterman, Director of the MIT System Dynamics Group. This is valid theory for microeconomics, but it's not for macroeconomics.

They worship a theory. They believe in the theory of an "Invisible Hand" God and "free market" freedom.

Republican Freedom is that you should have the "freedom" to not buy what you don't want and don't need. Problem is that no one -- no one -- knows in advance what they might need whether they "want" it now or not.

As an example, a week ago, my pup, Tiger, took a bad fall playing fetch and broke her right, upper forearm. That was an unexpected $5,000 bill ... totally unexpected. That kind of expense would bankrupt many, perhaps most, Americans. Even a $500 of expense would put most Americans into debt. Going to the emergency room is enormously expensive and would similarly result in bankruptcy ... it's not an answer to the problem.

The Republican View of "Freedom"

Freedom to not be covered by health insurance isn't "freedom" at all when the insurance system system collapses. And it will, based on "free market" economics theory, because the "free market" does not work for health insurance.

Economics Supports Single Payer

Republicans confuse microeconomics and macroeconomics; they apply the former when it doesn't apply. Health Insurance is a macroeconomic issue. There are two major economic reasons for assuring everyone is covered by health insurance.

Adverse Selection

Akerlof, Spence, & Stiglitz were awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize that explains this dynamic. It goes like this: Those who are sickest or who think the might get sick tend to purchase health insurance. The healthiest tend to think it won't be worth it ... not thinking at in the future disaster could strike. As time goes on and prices rise because those who were the least healthy signed up, the healthiest drop out leaving the sickest in the system. Prices rise; the healthiest drop out. This causes a health insurance system death spiral.

Positive externalities

Many know about "negative externalities". That's when the "free market" allows the redistribution of costs of pollution, injury, sickness and death onto the public to increase profits. That "cost redistribution" is the other kind of "socialism" that's an integral aspect of "free market" capitalism.

There's another kind of externality: positive externalities. That's when you spend money and others benefit because of that expenditure. Both Health Care & Education have positive externalities.

When you spend money on your health care or education, and you work with others, they benefit from that. You tend to not get sick so we're more efficient. Your knowledge and skills help us be more effective and creative. Society benefits. An example was how this nation benefited from the GI Bill.

The "conservative" "Free Market" God fails for health insurance. But this is only ONE CASE. Turns out that there are many cases where Individually-logical Decisions are Collectively Irrational ... leading to system failure.

Example of "free market" thinking:

Question: How many Libertarians or Republicans does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: None. They sit alone in dark waiting for the "Invisible Hand" to change it.

The U.S. Constitution

Republicans and libertarians say it's not the government's job to provide health insurance. But it is! From the U.S. Constitution:

Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Article I - The Legislative Branch; Section 8 - Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States

Welfare means the "health, happiness, or prosperity; well-being" of "We the People". Given that, because of the "adverse selection" dynamic, health insurance that covers everyone is necessary to prevent system failure. Therefore, it's necessary to "provide for the ... general Welfare of the United States".

Repubican Pinto Insurance Plans

The Republican plan for health insurance is to provide Pinto Insurance Plans. Their Pinto insurance blows up in a crash ... when there's a serious health problem ... which can happen at any time to anyone. That's what insurance is for.

Republican "market flexibility" means not having:

Essential Health Benefits: that include hospital care, prescription drugs, pregnancy and childbirth, pediatric services, mental health services, Rehab services and devices, and more. And not covering preexisting conditions ... you could have one at any minute

Single-Payer Health Insurance isn't "Leftist"

It's pragmatic & economic. It's what works for the nation and its citizens.

Those who support Single Payer aren't actually "Far Left" socialists; they're "Far Correct"

Republicans who don't support Single Payer are not "Far Right"; they're "Far WRONG"