Why are Republicans scared of competition?

[Christa]

March 14, 2009 | Despite the shock and awe of Democrats' melodramatic press releases, nobody was genuinely surprised by the recent McClatchy newspaper headline screaming that "GOP Lawmakers Tout Projects in the Stimulus Bill They Opposed." We all know that politicians love to brag about bringing home the bacon -- even the bacon they vote against.

Far more baffling are those same politicians contradicting their entire foundational philosophy. When that starts happening, as it is in the debate over healthcare, things can become authentically confusing.

Anyone who remembers the 1993-94 healthcare fights knows that Republicans have long asserted that private insurance is more efficacious and more adored by patients than government-run programs like Medicare. To solve the healthcare crisis, those on the right say we must foster more price-cutting, efficiency-producing competition. "The American people know that innovation, choice, and competition work," wrote Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., in an archetypal Op-Ed titled "Competition Solves Health Care."

/snip

Republicans can't simply acknowledge these truisms, however, because doing so would undermine the insurance industry that's filling their campaign coffers. So instead, we get pro-competition, government-is-ineffective "conservatives" working to thwart competition and implicitly admitting they believe the government will be too effective.

Yes, when it comes to competition, Republicans were for it before they were against it. And this time, that confounding flip-flop doesn't merely threaten a bumbling presidential candidate, it imperils a healthcare revolution.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/03/14/sirota/

[FormerDittoHead]

1. It's easy to explain when you understand that conservatism is a lie.

Conservatism, as it stands in practiced reality, is a lie. Like Communism, it preaches ideals that appeal to 'the common man' but in practice, exactly like Communism, the result is to further the concentration of power into the hands of the few.

They argue that they're "for" the little guy and "jobs", yet EVERYTHING THEY DO IS FOR THE RICH, CORPORATIONS, AND TO DECREASE WAGES.

If you don't believe this, NAME *ONE* THING they've done or continue to support that HAPPENS to hurt the rich, limit corporate risk and power, and not burden the lower classes with more cost and risk. My current favorite is the national sales tax conspiracy.

They say they don't like government. Another lie. They LOVE government. They NEED government to limit competition and to reduce risk to corporations. They USE government to make money off of. How do you think many billionaires make their billions? GE. Boeing. HP. Rand. etc., etc. Take that rugged individualist - Ross Perot who own(ed) EDS - the company which made the software for the social security administration. (why government doesn't create their own software and OWN it rather than LEASE it is a mystery to me, but one which I object to in any case).

They say they want fair taxes and fees. Yet name a single tax or fee cut or raise they've supported that doesn't disproportionately benefit the upper class in some way.

They DO like jobs, however. Lots of jobs. 2-3 jobs per person!

Republicans HATE competition, starting with POLITICAL competition...

[sendero]

2. Exactly....

.... and I'm hoping that with harder times people will start paying attention.

Hope springs eternal.