Our history notes a precious few essays so influential as to change the tide of politics. Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" was one. Thomas Payne's pamphlets made a similar mark.
Could we have today witnessed the appearance of another?
From the SWNIDish POV, "economist and retired business executive" George Newman (related to SWNIDish namesake Alfred E. Newman?) offers a piece of such insight, grace and wit that its elegance and persuasive power may put it in a category close to historic masterpieces. The title is "Parsing the Health Reform Arguments," and we celebrate it not just because its title uses a metaphor drawn from the sacred study of grammar. The essay superbly addresses all of the nonsense in the so-called healthcare debate with the laser-like focus and Shaw-like wit.
We won't spoil a moment by pulling quotations. Gentle readers without the strength to click the link and read should ask a friend to click the link and read aloud.
9 comments:
hmmm... not to be direct, but did you live in Dublin, CA as a child? if so I think I know you...
eh, me again. nevermind, further reading has elimininated the possibility of you being someone I know IRL.
have you ever considered a less overwrought prose style? i mean, really, from a nonpartisan standpoint, you sound like kind of a jackass.
Anon: Did it not occur to you that the "overwrought prose" might be part of an act? And by the way, have you ever considered using capital letters to begin sentences? I mean, really, from a grammatical standpoint, you sound like ... well, you get the point.
I bow down to the guise of your blog. I acknowledge the witty structure and also exult the content. I agree with most if not all that is published. I give you a quote from Haggai, "Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty."
The style is refreshing, witty and fun. I like it. Keep it up.
modest blogs have no readers.
Anon2 says - annoying style but always a good read - like Jim Rome - give it two weeks - it will grow on you....though I must say Rome's show is quite annoying wheras Wiley E. at least discusses realtime issues of concern
Enjoyed "parsing". I particularly appreciated the way he addressed soaring health care expenses. Much needs to be done to keep them in check but not by artificially lowering the bill but emphasizing prevention.
If I hear one more fat, smoking idiot complain about the cost of his pills my head will spin off. If President Obama is serious about lowering the cost of healthcare he'll spend billions on public pools for lower cost rehab, cardiac, arthritic, obesity, lung, and quality of lief issues or maybe allow insurance companies to penalize smokers, the obese, and the non-compliant.
Another issue is that a large percentage of the uninsured are undocumented immigrants. (Insurance companies are a lot more strict in checking backgrounds that most federal agencies-due to high levels of fraud) In countries like France you can't see a doctor until your paperwork is in order. Covering everyone still won't cover undocumented immigrants if we adopt a similar model. Another large percentage are college students and while some States require it some do not. I'm not real worried about the college students. As someone who has worked with immigrants for years, I was saddened by his lack of insight on the immigration issue. He seems to be using their numbers to further his political agenda rather than actually help them.
We feel the love, gentle readers!
To those who wonder about our style, we take "overwrought" as a compliment. As we have said before, We stoopid to conquer. For those who prefer simple diction and syntax, we recommend the opinion pages of the NY Post.
Yes, in a habit of extreme selfishness, we blog for our own amusement and invite others to join us in the fun. For those who don't find the fun, well, we think there are other pages on this newfangled Internet thingie.
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