Liberal Talk Radio

Saw Sicko last night. The verdict? Michael Moore cements his place as the most important social commentator of this generation.

Sure, he’s preaching to the choir. And, sure, Moore takes certain liberties with narrative structure to paint a somewhat disingenuous portrait, contrasting, for example, the French middle class with American homeless — never mind the French muslims in their restive banlieues.  Nonetheless, this is a man with full command of his camera in service of a progressive populism, the likes of which are seldom seen in America these days.

Moore asks an important question: why is America the lone holdout among the Western powers at providing free and universal health care for its citizens?  The answer, for Moore, is a familiar one — lobbyists have bought off our democracy, and we the people have acquiesced.

Sicko doesn’t offer any solutions, but watching the film I was overcome with a sense that what’s needed in health care is fundamental reform.  Such reform will likely require a massive and costly effort, something on the order of the New Deal, or at least the Great Society.  As with all revolutions some wealth (or, more specifically, “shareholder value”) will inevitably be destroyed.  But this thing is out of control and needs to be fixed.  F*** the cost benefit analysis, or even a pragmatic approach that addresses the entrenched interests in the industry.  Rip it up and start over, I say.  This thing is just too broken.

Now all’s we need is the political will to accomplish that.