Thom Hartmann debates economist John Lott

Thom is a host on Air America so we have spirited, though civil, discussions.

It’s a bit depressing to listen to this discussion. First off, this new federal endeavor is totally unconstitutional. It should be left to the states. It’s none of the federal government business under our constitution. If one likes so much government health care, move to Massachusetts or Oregon (good luck finding a job), but don’t try to expend something that hasn’t worked successfully in any state to all states. It’s just absurd. "Oh but it works in France." Who says, the WHO? How many people fly to France to get life saving treatment? Only Arafat, and he died there. Secondly, this argument that things will get cheaper by cutting profits off the system is classic third world stuff. The Soviet Union striped the profit motive from the entire economy, how did that work? Do we need to relive such experiments even with individual industries? How can anyone sane at this point childish argument. There is a mountain of evidence the size of the Everest to show that that’s not the case at all. And this argument can be used to get the federal government involved in everything: Mortgage industry, student loans, auto manufacturing. Well never mind. But all I ask of people goes back to the first point: Leave it to the states. We shouldn’t be having "a national debate on healthcare". Such central planning is un-American. Despite its problems our system is the best in the world precisely because we don’t have the level of government involvement that other nations have. It’s not because Americans are brighter--it's because the founders limited the U.S. federal government. The more the federal government gets involved in health care, the worse it will get. Go visit any federal facility: a federal court, a federal immigration building, a federal hospital. Take a look at the offices, the ceilings, the floors, the waiting line. It’s not good. Keep at the state level, and if you want it so much, move to a state that has it. Leave the rest of us alone