I knew I should have deleted Letterman.
When I saw that Michael Moore was a guest and he was going to talk about his new "documentary"
Sicko, I knew I should have deleted that episode from the
DVR and watched a
Southpark rerun.
But, I ignored my better judgment just to get a glimpse of the night's Top 10 List. The result of course, is that Moore's hypocritical babbling got my blood up to rant level.
Moore has no credibility in my book. The mere fact that he calls his propaganda films "documentaries" is only one reason. I have no intention of seeing his movie (although,
you can see it for free here, if the link still works), but based on his remarks during the Letterman interview, it seems to fit the mold of his previous efforts.
(Yes, I am aware that I seem to be commenting about a movie I haven't seen. So to be clear, my comments are strictly about the interview on Letterman and Moore's characterization of his film during this interview.)The problem is, as with most of his films, Moore starts with a conclusion (i.e., "health care should be paid for by the
gubment") and then sets out to find stories and "evidence" to support his conclusion. When Letterman asks him if his movie is just a series of anecdotes critical of the American health care system, he gives this response.
"I spent most of my time traveling to other countries to find out how we could create a better system here.
In every single other western industrialized country it [universal health care] is underwritten by the government. You never have to worry about it costing anything. It's free for everyone."
That's right. Free.
I was just as amazed at this revelation as you are. It seems countries like France and Germany have found ways to compel health care workers to do their jobs without getting paid. Pharmaceutical companies gladly donate all the prescription drugs needed to ensure good health among the populations.
Of course, Moore knows that nothing is "free". He knows that under a national health care system we would end up paying even more taxes to a notoriously inefficient federal system to get, if we're lucky, the same health care we have now.
As if this wasn't enough, Moore further demonstrated his
jerkoffitude while relating the story of his trip to Cuba. He pointed out that
prisoners detainees at
Guantánamo Bay Naval Base received better health care than people who volunteered to help during the World Trade Center recovery.
I thought, why don't we go get a boat, sail into Guantánamo Bay go right up to the naval station and say "I've got these 9-11 rescue workers here would you give them the same care that you're giving the evildoers. And that's what we did.
Moore goes on to state that he was not received well at the Naval base. Really? Ya think? So you sailed into a U.S. Naval base unannounced and you received a cool reception? Dude, given the location and the geopolitical atmosphere of the day, you're lucky they didn't torpedo you're ass first and ask questions later.
Look, the U.S. health care system has serious problems. I suspect very few people have a good understanding what they are. It's not just about who pays for health care. We have to look at why the costs are spiraling, why is insurance so expensive, why are prescription drugs so expensive? There are a myriad other questions that I don't even know about.
For Moore to sell the idea that "you can have it all for free" ignores the fact that the health care system is a system and needs to be addressed as such.
He had an opportunity to look into these issues objectively and pragmatically to make a truly informative documentary. Of course, he'll sell a lot more tickets and make a lot more money by being an inflammatory douche rather than informative.
tagged: Michael Moore, David Letterman, Sicko, policy, health care, Cuba, Guantánamo Bay
So the audience can "vote" via text message on the characterizations that are presented. This kind of audience participation is what some consider "innovative" (though so-called reality TV shows like American Idol have been doing this for at least five years).
