Uninsured? Let Them Die says the Tampa GOP Debate Attendees

When CNN hosted a GOP debate in Tampa, there was no doubt that some of the fringe issues were abound to come out. The 2 hour sludgefest of slapping down Social Security and suggesting that the EPA would be best oversought by those 'abused' by them (you know, big oil, steel manufacturers etc). For two hours, each candidate did backflips to polish off those tea party credentials. When all was said and done though, the biggest losers were not any candidate but rather the audience, whose reactions demonstrated a lack of empathy and compassion usually only seen in sociopaths.

The question was one directed at Ron Paul in which a hypothetical situation involved a young 30 year old with a job and no health insurance befalls a tragedy and requires long term medical care. Being the most libertarian candidate, Paul's initial answer is focused on personal responsibility and bemoaning the expectation that the government would take care of him. When the moderator, Wolf Blitzer, follows up with the natural "would you just let him die?" Before Paul can even backstep and emphasize private charities' role etc, the audience can be hear loudly proclaiming "Yeah".


To put this into perspective: the audience in Tampa fell somewhere to the right of RON PAUL.


1 day after the 10th anniversary of 9-11 and the remembrance of lives lost, the vitriol directed at our fellow man returned with a vengeance at this debate and demonstrated the absolute worst in the American people. The fact that there are people who shun any degree of support for someone under the most extreme circumstances is perhaps a greater tragedy than what happened at 9-11. This kind of thinking is poisonous and frightfully infectious and is a sign of a society in decline. Given the high rate at which conservatives claim to be Christians, I urge them to go back through their New Testament and remember Jesus's stance toward compassion toward your fellow man. Even for non-Christians, the instructions to care for the infirm and be charitable should you have the means are moral lessons that transcends the boundaries of religion.


I am appalled that the audience acts so boorishly to a question that deserved nuance and understanding of the situation. Even if it was someone who made a choice not to purchase private insurance, it is not our place to be the judge jury and executioner. When someone's life is boiled down to mob mentality shouting, we have lost all sight of our priorities and are no better than the civilizations we thumb our noses at for their perceived barbarism.