Don't Believe the Hype that Affordable Health Care for Everyone is a Bad Idea

Senator Shelby (R-Ala.) is apparently living in a world of his own: he currently stated on “Fox News Sunday” that Obama will “destroy the best health care system the world has ever known”. He then went on to state that once the government gets involved in “the details” you place private insurance companies at an unfair disadvantage—against the government, who has the “incentives” and “power“ to crush private enterprise. He ultimately resorted to fear mongering, warning Americans “[that] they better be careful what they want”—some of the same old tactics that have placed this country in the desperate economic situation it’s in now.

Perhaps Senator Shelby is unaware that the Census Bureau estimated that there were 46.6 million uninsured Americans in 2005. Surely that number hasn’t decreased in 4 years, given that most Americans couldn’t afford private health insurance prior to our nation’s economic collapse. Maybe Senator Shelby continues to argue against government-sponsored health coverage for all Americans because he doesn’t have to worry about not being able to afford private health care coverage. Instead, he has government issued health insurance, provided by the taxpayer dollar.

Senator Shelby pretends to have the well being of the American people in mind—except when it’s inconvenient. In fact, he was a strong advocate against the struggling big three automakers, and supported foreign automakers instead. Not surprisingly, Senator Shelby’s home state of Alabama has won three foreign assembly plants since the 1990s, including Honda, Mercedes Benz and Hyundai, as well as an engine plant from Toyota and numerous investments from foreign auto parts makers. Since his state is so heavily reliant on foreign automaker kickbacks, its no wonder Senator Shelby is on their side. Could it be that he also has private insurance companies in his back pocket too?