The secret roll call vote idea could lead to some really interesting outcomes from a game-theoretic perspective. If voters had no real way to know if their representatives were voting in accordance with their preferences, politicians would have two options:
1. Moderate-maxxing, where they run only on positions likely to please the broadest constituencies so voters can never assume that their representatives are responsible for an unpopular passage/failure
2. Partisan-maxxing, where the politicians outwardly present themselves as so fanatical and rigid that their constituents would trust that they indeed would be voting as advertised. However, despite their outward displays, the partisan-maxxers would be free to vote however they please -- even at the opposite extreme of what they advertise
For voters, their only recourse when faced with a Congress who displeases them is to assume the incumbent is a defector and vote for challengers until things get better, whereas presently most voters continue to return incumbents to their seats and hope the few swing seats in the nation go their way. Thus you could end up with a high-turnover legislature highly incentivized to take whatever actions they can in their brief window of authority and not at all disincentivized by political pressure
Copy the Canadian health care system. The aggregate savings exceed the budget deficit by almost a trillion dollars per year (not to mention full coverage, no medical bankruptcies, and better health outcomes). Raise taxes in a sensible way to cover for the fact that not all US health coverage is currently paid by the government (this could be done so that no one’s tax rise exceeds their health care savings, but I’d prefer to target some exemptions like carried interest and stepped up basis on death). Of course this will never get past the health insurance lobby, but plenty of these ideas are even less realistic or cost effective!
There are a lot of assumptions built into this. Cost would certainly be higher in the U.S. due to higher labor costs/living standards, especially for medical professionals, in America v Canada. Right now, the American healthcare system subsidizes the Canadian one, as many Canadians (I knew one!) can’t obtain care in their country due to waitlists and must travel to the U.S. With that subsidy gone, idk what the real cost looks like.
But if I take your broader point as being “the U.S. government already spends more per capita than virtually all other countries on the planet, despite not covering everyone, and this is pretty insane,” I agree. You’re probably right that single payer could cost the government less than what it currently spends on Medicare/Medicaid if designed the right way. The devil is in the details!
I remember reading about that. Completely wacky! Exceptionally rare for me to say something nice about the Confederacy, but I do like the wording they used for their line item veto.
The secret roll call vote idea could lead to some really interesting outcomes from a game-theoretic perspective. If voters had no real way to know if their representatives were voting in accordance with their preferences, politicians would have two options:
1. Moderate-maxxing, where they run only on positions likely to please the broadest constituencies so voters can never assume that their representatives are responsible for an unpopular passage/failure
2. Partisan-maxxing, where the politicians outwardly present themselves as so fanatical and rigid that their constituents would trust that they indeed would be voting as advertised. However, despite their outward displays, the partisan-maxxers would be free to vote however they please -- even at the opposite extreme of what they advertise
For voters, their only recourse when faced with a Congress who displeases them is to assume the incumbent is a defector and vote for challengers until things get better, whereas presently most voters continue to return incumbents to their seats and hope the few swing seats in the nation go their way. Thus you could end up with a high-turnover legislature highly incentivized to take whatever actions they can in their brief window of authority and not at all disincentivized by political pressure
Excellent comment.
Copy the Canadian health care system. The aggregate savings exceed the budget deficit by almost a trillion dollars per year (not to mention full coverage, no medical bankruptcies, and better health outcomes). Raise taxes in a sensible way to cover for the fact that not all US health coverage is currently paid by the government (this could be done so that no one’s tax rise exceeds their health care savings, but I’d prefer to target some exemptions like carried interest and stepped up basis on death). Of course this will never get past the health insurance lobby, but plenty of these ideas are even less realistic or cost effective!
There are a lot of assumptions built into this. Cost would certainly be higher in the U.S. due to higher labor costs/living standards, especially for medical professionals, in America v Canada. Right now, the American healthcare system subsidizes the Canadian one, as many Canadians (I knew one!) can’t obtain care in their country due to waitlists and must travel to the U.S. With that subsidy gone, idk what the real cost looks like.
But if I take your broader point as being “the U.S. government already spends more per capita than virtually all other countries on the planet, despite not covering everyone, and this is pretty insane,” I agree. You’re probably right that single payer could cost the government less than what it currently spends on Medicare/Medicaid if designed the right way. The devil is in the details!
I particularly like #3, just have to convince Boomers they'll keep getting their "paid in" entitlements in heaven.
Line item vetoes, maybe.
But not like Wisconsin.
https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/wisconsin-governors-creative-use-line-item-veto-extended-school-funding
I remember reading about that. Completely wacky! Exceptionally rare for me to say something nice about the Confederacy, but I do like the wording they used for their line item veto.
Suicide and murder are bad.
I wouldn't joke about suicide.
Aren't fifties the most trackable bills?
Ruh roh. Better make it $2 bills.