Moderated off Boing Boing

I had an interesting experience with Boing Boing yesterday when one of my comments was deleted and my account blocked.
While I am fine with them moderating me out (it is their site after all) and I know what is the dominant view of the editors and commenters, I find the situation revealing about BB.

Xeni points out that healthcare in the US is screwed and expensive, which she illustrates with the story of a sick father and her own. No contention with that. But she follows with the typical anti-capitalist case (greedy providers) and a link to Sicko, which offers similar arguments and promotes government-run healthcare.
My comment is admittedly analytical and argumentative, it focuses on economics and ethics. I point out how government intervention made such situations worse and question the morality of compulsory "charity" (welfare programs).

I was shaken by the moderator's feedback. But upon reflection, I stand by my comment. It is copied below with a link to the original post and the moderator's email.
BB is a forum for exchanging ideas honestly and openly (or at least reasonably so), and it is crucial to respond to incorrect economic and social arguments which result in deeply harmful effects.

Specifically, I cannot see how promoting a solution that helps people sustainably is somehow less compassionate than a bad solution promoted by someone ill (even tragically so). Call me callous in my delivery, but I care more about the well-being of millions of people than hurting the feelings of one.

  1. The poor and sick are better helped by lowered costs and improved quality. Healthcare is not so different from food or other necessities that laws of economics would suddenly flip around.
  2. There is no morality in a solution that bring 14 trillion dollars of debt burden (not counting multiples of that in unfunded of welfare liabilities) onto coming generations. How difficult will it be for them to afford medical treatment when they are still paying back this generation's debt?
  3. Think of how well the poor, the old and the sick will cope in debt- and tax-ridden states. Seen the news from Greece recently? Keep an eye on Spain, France, the UK, and soon the US which are similarly on the verge of bankruptcy. How sustainable are the current benefits? Should people try to understand the source of their hardships, or simply feel satisfied with scapegoats?

I understand the illusion and temptation of government and that we are all only human, but if I fall seriously ill tomorrow, I will still curse the interventions that made the situation un-necessarily worse.

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Permalink | Comments (0) | April 19, 2012