Monday, June 22, 2009

That Paradox

The New York Times reported on June 21 (3rd paragraph) “While 85 percent of respondents said the health care system needed to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt, 77 percent said they were very or somewhat satisfied with the quality of their own care.

The Times refers to the survey result as “that paradox” (4th paragraph) but strangely, in the remainder of the 21-paragraph article, the reporters and editors at the New York Times do not probe for an explanation of the paradox, as though they have no interest in understanding it. Well, perhaps they think the paradox is unimportant? Apparently not. The Times blames the failure of the Clinton plan on “that paradox” - - 16 years ago (4th paragraph). That makes the paradox pretty important, it seems to me. And the Times' opinion on the failure of the Clinton plan is surprising because that plan failed 16 years before the present survey was conducted.

Well, perhaps the Times is merely conceding “that paradox” has existed for at least 16 years (I have evidence in my files that “that paradox” has existed for more than 30 years, but never mind). OK, but then if it is such a powerful and apparently paradoxical fact in public opinion that has existed for 16+ years, why does the Times not even attempt to explain it?

It’s my belief “that paradox” exists precisely because (1) most people are in fact generally satisfied with their medical care and (2) slanted media reporting across all those years has created the impression that most people are NOT satisfied with their medical care. So it's understandable that surveys report most people are satisfied, but believe most others are not.

In other words, “that paradox” which the Times does not explain and pointedly ignores, is the difference between what people experience for themselves, and what media such as the Times tell them is experienced by others. So I ask: who ya gonna believe? The New York Times or your own lyin eyes?

PS – Is this paradox newsworthy? I think so. Well then, why would the Times not print all the news; isn’t it fit to print? My answer: with depressing regularity, the Times deems news not fit to print when it does not fit the Times’ agenda. What is the Times’ agenda? In this area, the Times supports universal, government-controlled medical care. But if the Times were to concede that most people are generally satisfied with the quality of their own medical care, what then? Well, that would admit a powerful argument that takeover of the present system by the federales is just unnecessary. Therefore – Times won’t print that. Times won’t acknowledge that line of argument has merit – or, even, that it exists.
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