A nation of idiots

Ezra doesn't "want to frame this issue politically," but I have no such qualms. Because of the deliberate misreading of the bill by a charlatan; the tweets or Facebook pronouncements of a failed, former half-term governor of Alaska; an eagerly gullible press*, cynical political groups; and the ravings of a few "keep government away from my Medicare" lunatics at a few town hall meetings; one of the most intimate -- and expensive --decisions a patient and a doctor can make was turned into a political football. The result is the status quo for a public policy that makes the end of a person's life more miserable then is remotely necessary and more expensive then should be acceptable.

*I'm probably being unfair to the press. As I sought out links, it became evident that the press -- with a reliably predictable exception, of course -- did pretty well in debunking the "death panel" nonsense. Because of that, the entire episode make me despair for our political and health care systems even more.