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Government's Heavy HandSocialized medicine intrudes on the march against Obamacare.

By Timothy NoahPosted Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, at 11:11 AM ET

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Protesters near the U.S. Capitol rally against the proposed health care bill Observing the Nov. 5 protest march against Obamacare on Capitol Hill, Dana Milbank of the Washington Post momentarily turned his attention from signs that said "Stop Obamunism" and "National Socialist Healthcare, Dachau, Germany, 1945" to "a man standing just beyond the TV cameras" who "apparently suffered a heart attack 20 minutes after [the] event began." Here's what happened next:

Medical personnel from the Capitol physician's office—an entity that could, quite accurately, be labeled government-run health care—rushed over, attaching electrodes to his chest and giving him oxygen and an IV drip.
This turned into an unwanted visual for the speakers, as a D.C. ambulance and fire truck, lights flashing, pulled in just behind the lawmakers. A path was made through the media section, and the patient, attended to by about 10 government medical personnel, was being wheeled away on a stretcher just as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) stepped to the microphone.

Health reform advocates say the bill before Congress won't lead to a government takeover of the health care system overnight. But 10 or 15 years down the road statist intrusions like the one Milbank describes could well become commonplace. Beware.

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Timothy Noah is a senior writer at Slate.

COMMENTS

This story is a bit coy, but I think the point is valid. Progressives believe that the government can be used to improve all of our lives more efficiently than the private sector. I live in a relatively rural area and when I call 911 the local fire department sends an ambulance to my house. It would be difficult for a private ambulance service to be on call 24 hours a day and make a profit. Not to mention 911 is itself a government service, possibly operated by a subcontractor, but nevertheless paid for with tax money. Would you want to rely on a private police force or a private fire department for protection? People do, but it gets expensive. It's a better deal for the rest of us to pay the levies on our yearly tax bill and share the costs of these basic services.

-- fletc3her
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