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Huckabee: Human Beings No Different Than Property

by: Dean Barker

Thu Sep 23, 2010 at 19:51:53 PM EDT


Mike Huckabee, allegedly human:
"It sounds so good, and it's such a warm message to say we're not gonna deny anyone from a preexisting condition," Huckabee explained at the Value Voters Summit today. "Look, I think that sounds terrific, but I want to ask you something from a common sense perspective. Suppose we applied that principle [to] our property insurance. And you can call your insurance agent and say, "I'd like to buy some insurance for my house." He'd say, "Tell me about your house." "Well sir, it burned down yesterday, but I'd like to insure it today." And he'll say, "I'm sorry, but we can't insure it after it's already burned." Well, no pre-existing conditions."
I know we are in the height of mid-term election fever right now. Nonetheless, I think it's important to document the monstrous things the POTUS wannabes say, especially for a blog that calls the First-in-the-Nation Primary state its home.  At some point soon he'll be here smiling and glad-handing.
Dean Barker :: Huckabee: Human Beings No Different Than Property
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two things (4.00 / 2)
I'm not sure I've heard a more ridiculous false equivalency.  A person is the same a house?  Tell that to the mother with no insurance who's just had a baby with cystic fibrosis.  That kid will need treatment and chronic care for his or her entire life!  But, the child now has a "pre-existing condition" and, up until now, would have to pay out of pocket for daily medications and frequent doctor's visits.  You know, just like your house after it burns down.

Also, how very Christian of "pastor" Huckabee.


Where to start? (0.00 / 0)
People as property has a long history in this country.  In fact, children are still considered the property of their parents. Which is why the state only gets involved when the parents aren't providing adequate support to this "most precious resource," and steps in by taking the children away.  Along with South Africa, we're the only nation that's not signed on to the "rights of the child" convention.

In the conservative mind, ownership of anything (people or things) is supposed to serve as a reward for putting up with the systematic abuse of human rights.  And, if you insist on your rights, what you need to survive will be taken away.  That's the message of DADT, isn't it?  People get deprived of the ability to make a living (get fired) for insisting on their rights.

Btw, I agree with President Obama.  DADT is about much more than the rights of LGBT.  Why should the Congress be left off the hook by him taking an executive decision to ignore an unjust law? How would that convey the message that the Congress needs to be more careful in making law, instead of counting on somebody else to correct the mistakes?  Human rights ought to be front and center in this election and candidates who support depriving people of their rights should not be elected.

It really doesn't matter how people (especially candidates for public office) feel about marriage, reproduction, speech, mobility or religion.  What's important is whether or not they are ready and willing, if enabled, to deprive other people of their rights, unless they have a damned good reason.  You see, the deprivation of rights is supposed to be used to punish proven bad actors, not inoffensive persons.  So, if deprivation is the norm and only bad actors get their rights respected, the whole premise on which the "consent of the governed" rests has been thrown out.  


The most glaring fallacy here (0.00 / 0)
is that a house which has already burned down is not in any way analogous to a patient with a preexisting condition.  A house which has already burned down is analogous to a patient who is already dead.  

Nothing remains to be insured in either case, making this particular argument ... um, irrelevant?


argument by analogy (0.00 / 0)
Republicans love to argue issues by analogy... even though their analogies often (as in this case) make no sense at all.


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Thanks for all the fish


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[ Parent ]
Huck's bizarrest analogy (0.00 / 0)
Probably the strangest analogy of Huckabee's career was the Parable of the School Desks which he shared with us at the 2008 Republican National Convention...

It turns out the bizarre parable is based on an event which really happened.  A teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas actually did have some veterans remove all the desks from her classroom one morning and then she have them carry them back in at the end of the day.  However, the analogy makes no sense...

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Thanks for all the fish


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[ Parent ]
So perverse (0.00 / 0)
I think I hear the argument he's trying to make, a dog whistle that insurance is a business ... not charity. More socialism. Even the bill that mandates people buying insurance is socialism.

What can we mandate people to buy that wouldn't be socialism? Bibles?




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