Sebelius: “Don’t believe what you’ve heard.”

Democracy and Power 108: Obfuscation

Wherever politics intrudes upon economic life, political success is readily attained by saying what people like to hear rather than what is demonstrably true. Instead of safeguarding truth and honesty, the state then tends to become a major source of insincerity and mendacity. —Hans F. Sennholz

Politicians know their constituents are usually inattentive to the political process. Thus, the politician’s speech is seldom precise or logically reasoned. Seeking a favorable image, the politician talks in generalities, exaggerates and obfuscates.

Sebelius:  “Don’t believe what you’ve heard.”

Let’s remember what Americans heard prior to the Democrats passing ObamaCare.  “If you like your insurance plan, you will keep it.”

Three years later, meet Natalie Willes a young woman in California, who lost her insurance.  Sadly, her ObamaCare options are more expensive and have an enormous deductible of $6,500, which only covers 70% after it’s used. CBS News reports: 

“Before I had a plan that I had a $1,500 deductible,” she said. “I paid $199 dollars a month. The most similar plan that I would have available to me would be $278 a month. My deductible would be $6,500 dollars, and all of my care after that point would only be covered 70 percent.

“I was completely happy with the insurance I had before, Willes said.   

Responding to hundreds of similar complaints, Secretary Sebelius, our Obamacare czar, continued to talk in generalities this week, which also continued to spew more insincerity and mendacity. “Sign up.  Don’t believe what you’ve heard. Just check it out, look at the prices, look at the plans.”

Willes did exactly that and realized, “Now I’m being forced to choose from a bunch of new plans that I don’t want to choose from that are all more expensive.”

Willes and millions Americans are beginning to understand the deceits and obfuscations employed by politicians of all ideologies and political parties.  Shortly after World War II, Hans Sennhoz, who lived through the hell of Nazi Germany and subsequently migrated to America,  wrote:

Wherever politics intrudes upon economic life, political success is readily attained by saying what people like to hear rather than what is demonstrably true. Instead of safeguarding truth and honesty, the state then tends to become a major source of insincerity and mendacity.

Hopefully, Willes, and millions of other Americans, will realize that a big government which promises everything also has the power to take everything…especially freedom.  Hopefully, millions of Americans will soon embrace increased freedom by supporting a small, honest and competent government.

It’s important for us to look at history, reflect on our government and improve the path we’re taking.   Please read this article on Sennholz from the Mises Institute (Sennholz strongly opposed what is currently occurring in America):

He has decried the welfare state as confiscatory and immoral. He has called inflation a form of theft. He has identified government intervention as coercion contrary to the true spirit of cooperation. He did this at a time when saying such things was taboo in the profession. Here again, he was keeping alive the spirit of Mises, and the spirit of truth.