Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Random puzzlement 2
In the last few days the chattering class has been discussing the pressures placed on brand-D congresscritters. Obama and the brand-D leaders are pushing hard for party solidarity, pushing to approve the Permanent Guaranteed Infinite-Profit Monopoly For Insurance Companies Bill of 2010 (falsely called "health care reform").
Many of the congresscritters know full well that the folks back home will toss them out for this vote.
Puzzle: Inducing you to end your own career for the sake of the party requires some serious motivation. But what's the carrot and stick? Normally the party's carrot is money for campaigns, and the stick is the party's power to run another candidate against you in the next primary.
Those are obviously irrelevant if the desired action will end your career anyway!
= = = = =
Later thought: Maybe the carrot is an iron-clad promise of a cushy think-tank position? Or a high-paid lobbying job for the insurance industry?
= = = = =
Update 3/17: More specific question: What flipped Kucinich? He is generally incorruptible, and on this point he's been exactly right. In today's world, single-payer systems work better and cost vastly less than mixed-up systems. Why then did he agree to vote for this monstrous Rube Goldberg contraption that mixes up our system even more, and gives even more profit to the grossly obscenely profitable monopoly of insurance? He surely knows that laws are never repealed, knows that this monster prevents us from ever achieving a competent and useful system. ¶ 6:18 AM
Many of the congresscritters know full well that the folks back home will toss them out for this vote.
Puzzle: Inducing you to end your own career for the sake of the party requires some serious motivation. But what's the carrot and stick? Normally the party's carrot is money for campaigns, and the stick is the party's power to run another candidate against you in the next primary.
Those are obviously irrelevant if the desired action will end your career anyway!
= = = = =
Later thought: Maybe the carrot is an iron-clad promise of a cushy think-tank position? Or a high-paid lobbying job for the insurance industry?
= = = = =
Update 3/17: More specific question: What flipped Kucinich? He is generally incorruptible, and on this point he's been exactly right. In today's world, single-payer systems work better and cost vastly less than mixed-up systems. Why then did he agree to vote for this monstrous Rube Goldberg contraption that mixes up our system even more, and gives even more profit to the grossly obscenely profitable monopoly of insurance? He surely knows that laws are never repealed, knows that this monster prevents us from ever achieving a competent and useful system. ¶ 6:18 AM
