What is Given, What is Taken

One of the mythologies of modern democracy is that privilege is grasped by elites. It is, but it is also bestowed upon the elites by their adoring fans. Take for example, the recent edition of JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Assn.. This is the scientific journal of the AMA. The recent publication contained  a scientific study authored by The President of the United States, an article on healthcare reform in the United States. The piece, which contains 68 footnotes to academic journals and government publications, claims to present evidence showing that the number of Americans without health insurance has dropped dramatically, and resulted in lower hospital readmission rates. Obama also used the article to recommend the introduction of a “public option” plan in parts of the U.S. and for the federal government to push down drug prices.

“I am proud of the policy changes in the [Affordable Care Act],” he writes, “and the progress that has been made toward a more affordable, high-quality, and accessible healthcare system.”

"It would be difficult, if not impossible, to find another paper in any scientific journal in which a politician was allowed to subjectively analyze his own policy and declare it a success. This is a textbook definition of conflict of interest," writes the LA Times.

“For most Americans … Marketplaces are working.” Or so the President writes. Maybe. But just saying so does not mean it is true and that is nowhere more important than in a scientific journal. And if you disagree? Obama denounces “hyperpartisanship,” and then goes on to criticize Republicans for “excessive oversight” and “relentless litigation” that “undermined  ACA implementation efforts.” He--and the Journal--thinks this is reasonable.

There has been a lot of talk about how the laws are not applied evenly in the land. And the legal system does seem to bend over backwards to accommodate the political elites in the country. But what about the laws of common sense? How could anyone allow such a subjective and political discussion to appear in a scientific medical journal?

Simple. There is a lower bar for these people. Lower in almost every way. Amazingly, we do not have the expectations of these people that we have for each other. Why, I'll bet people would not think it outrageous to give Obama a Nobel Peace Prize.