You say that Sanders wants to replace the private healthcare insurance market with a government-run plan. The current plan that we have now, under the ACA, is fraught with political influence from the big money presented by the insurance companies. Their influence is, to put it nicely, self-dealing, particularly in light of the fact that the average person has little to no influence on federal legislation. That self-dealing influence is more along the lines of what I think of as “socialism for the rich”.
First of all, let me point out that it is not a proven fact that that “big money” causes any financial problems with obtaining health care. The BernieBros take it as Holy Writ that insurance companies are evil and that their influence on health care policy causes high costs, but that is opinion rather than fact.
That all said, and acknowledging your very valid point that the average person has little influence on federal legislation, it seems to me (and to most americans, based on the polling on this issue) that the flaw in the Sanders reasoning on the health care issue is derived from this opinion; otherwise, it would be no skin off his nose (or that of his health care plan) to allow people the choice between private plans and “buying in” to Medicare.
When a politician in a free market economy wishes to restrict market choice, they do so for one reason, and one reason alone — ideology. Because there are precisely zero economic reasons for *not* simply promoting a public buy into Medicare and letting people choose what they wish to do.
You say that Sanders has suggested that the banks should be nationalized. I think he is more along the lines of public banking
I have no problem with public postal banking, btw. But Bernie has a bit of a track record that he will be forced to explain should he become the nominee:
That said, I seem to remember Bernie advocating for bank nationalization during the meltdown period. A search of Google from 07 to 10 has no hits, searching for these sorts of quotes from Sanders. Hence, I retract that specific part my previous statement.
Take out the abusive parenting, and there is a pretty good chance you will reduce or eliminate abuses in government.
Well, that’s really not likely to occur.
Whether or not Sanders is socialist is beside the point.
It’s actually an important point to a lot of people.
Trump has proven that he doesn’t respect oversight of his power. Sanders would respect that oversight.
Well, then Sanders would be the first president in my lifetime to respect it. Trump is Trump. Obama was famous for having his Justice Department slow-walk (and lose) subpoenaed documents. The loss of Hilary’s emails was not just a partisan scream of anguish, it was part of a larger pattern.
And the chain of disrespect of oversight goes back from there. But at this point, a promise to “respect oversight” by a candidate who puts market operations at risk remains uncomfortable. I personally will not support a candidate that wishes to impose single payer health care without the ability to opt-out for a private insurer, and if that means I have to hold my nose and pull the lever for Trump, so be it.
It’s a bridge too far for a lot of us.
