>>>post a study about the "War on Poverty". You suggest it's invalid because it includes Medicaid. I point out that Medicaid is a piece of LBJ's "War on Poverty" thus must be included in the study for accuracy. You then say that because "healthcare does an admirable job" on "relieving the symptom of poverty" that I'm "insisting that healthcare is a failure unless it reduces poverty". You've just moved the goalpost.
>
>Do I really have to quote your own words back to you? Press the back arrow a few times and see why you said Medicaid is a failure.

I pressed the "back" arrow and got the UT home page. Pressed again and got espn. Pressed again and got wsj. Then I figured out you meant "previous". ;)

Let's review :

*self snip*

Nah, let's not. The War on Poverty is an expensive failure which has made people comfortable and dependent in poverty rather than assist them out. A solid dependent class with their hands permanently out is required to keep the professional political class and the bureaucracy in power. More food stamps, more "free" healthcare, more cradle-to-grave nannying keeps the soft voting for the power hungry. The rights, freedoms and property of the independent citizenry get squeezed out in the process.

Suggesting that "healthcare is different" is a losing argument. The same is said about every government dominated money pit from education to the post office. Somehow these things are "different" and will not respond to market forces and need to be centrally planned. Yet when the results run counter to their stated purposes it's never because the philosopher kings are not capable of planning something so vast or that these items would be better managed at the local or individual level. Instead, the refrain is always the same, more money. Specifically, more money siezed from the productive masses for further central planning which will result in more of the same non-results and keep the dependent class voting for their dear leaders. Plato would be so proud.

With that said, I'm gonna pull the eject lever.

As always, John, it's been a pleasure.