The Basic Human Right To Be Stupid

Conservative blogger and pundit Jillian Bandes seems to operate in the mode of Ann Coulter when it comes to discussing issues. When she was MSNBC to debate the cost of healthcare, money that is being spent on ads by the opposition as well as those for reform, and how many people are uninsured, she took a very Coulter-eque approach.



You know, everytime I hear any of the prattling, mouth-agape, conservative masses use the phrase "grass-roots effort" I want to scream.

That aside, Jillian's hamfisted attempt to validate her own canted perspective is something to marvel at. Personally, I am elidgible for healthcare through my employer, but it is entirely too expensive. I can try and find a plan that would fit my individual needs, but then again, the cost isn't much better.

According to the National Coalition on Healthcare:

The large majority of the uninsured (80 percent) are native or naturalized citizens.

So, playing devil's advocate for a moment, Jillian Bandes has a tiny point here. But even considering the very real fact that the 80% is still 37,600,000 doesn't seems to bother her.

Larry Elder has a piece up on Creators Syndicate ( where he cites stats that are over 3 years old ) that takes a simular course to Jillians by attempting to debunk the high number of uninsured by claiming that nearly half of the uninsured ( who are in their late 20s ) could afford and qualify for healthcare if only they had priorities:

These Gen Xers copped to dropping money on clothes, booze, nightlife, the latest tech gizmos and other things of interest to them. With a change in priorities, these young folks — far more representative of those without insurance than the forlorn husband and wife sitting on a porch swing — could both afford and qualify for health insurance. They simply consider it a low priority.

The problem with this line of thinking is that clothes, and tech items are priced radically lower than the overall costs of healthcare coverage. Consider the very real fact that if you get sick and have to stay in the hospital for even 2 nights, have tests done, maybe a CAT scan, then that's going to add up to more than just the cost of an iPod and case of Miller Light.

But let's get back to Jillians flippant arguement that food isn't a basic human right. To that, I would ask if she is fine with children starving? Is she going to be alright with the fact that 16,000 children around the world die every year from starvation? Is she comfortable with the fact that far too many children go to bed each night without food? Granted, there are a few cases where parents are neglecting their children, but it is certainly not a plurality.

The shear idiocy of this woman is beyond measure.

Think Progress has more.