I think I finally understand what the right wing is saying

[DarkTirade]

with their talking points about how socialized medicine is causing terror, because socialized medicine requires more doctors and they end up inviting foreign doctors into the country. If you connect all the dots you end up coming to one conclusion... Without socialized medicine, poor people can't go to the doctor. With it, they can. Therefore, with poor people going to the doctor more often, we need more doctors. And then they connect a few more dots and get 'Aaaah! Terrorism!"

So basically, they are saying that socialized medicine is bad because it helps more people. Specifically, poor people. They're saying that it's better to let poor people get sick and die than it is to let them see a doctor. Because letting poor people see doctors causes terrorism.

I came to this realization when I tried to have an actual discussion with someone online (not here obviously, a different political forum) who was spewing the Fox News ideology, and I actually listened to what he was saying and poked and prodded him with non-provocative (well, mostly non-provocative) questions until I got his entire viewpoint out.

These were the dots that this ideology were connecting. Socialized medicine causes more need for doctors. More need for doctors=dependence on foreign doctors. Dependence of foreign doctors=terrorism. (Of course, he barely acknowledged that the problem didn't lie in the fact that they were foreign doctors, but rather that someone decided to let foreign doctors in without doing the regular background checks one would give to someone immigrating to a new country. Eventually he stopped arguing with me, so either he realized he was wrong and refused to admit it, or he realized that there was no way he could refute my logic and decided to save face by disappearing. :) )

[fasttense]

1. Why don't they just increase the number of people allowed/accepted into medical school

and decrease the cost, or even make it free for a few years so America doesn't have to import doctors? Then they would get their increased doctors without having to bring in terrorists.

[DarkTirade]

2. Well, in this case the right-wing is pointing to the recent terrorist threats

in England, where several of the suspects were foreign doctors who were allowed in without background checks.
But yeah, that would make sense.

[phildo]

3. Upside down and backwards.

Actually works the other way around.

I think it was in 1994 that Congress started paying Medical Schools to take LESS students -- used tax money to reduce enrollment while not causing the schools to lose any money.

The intent was that would be less doctors in the US and prices could/would stay high. And to their credit, the plan is working wonderfully.

While that may seem harsh to poor folks, there is a plan for them, as well -- if they will just follow the rules:

Rule #1: Do NOT get sick.
Rule #2: See rule #1.

Now if poor folks would just learn to follow the rules.

[bobbolink]

4. Do you have link or reference to paying to reduce students?

I'm not aware of that, and would like to mention that to people, if you have a link or further info.

Thanks!