[MD] NHS? No thanks

[Ben Golden]

Platt, your arguments as I best read it goes something like this:

1) Platt read the Independent article as being critical of the NHS/or 
socialized medicine.
2) Either the article was or was not critical of the NHS.
3a) If the article was critical of the NHS, then you can criticize 
socialized medicine.
3b) If the article was not critical of the NHS, then it's misleading, so you 
can criticize Jos Laycock.

I generally agree that all points are sound.  You've effectively put 
Jos/Arlo on the defensive, where they'll remain so long as this discussion 
continues.  Having said that, I don't see your points as being particularly 
strong or important and I'm not really sure what you're trying to accomplish 
beyond scoring some rhetorical points.  FWIW, I'm not particularly 
interested in defending either socialized medicine of the Independent, only 
in clarifying the strength of your case against them.

I've already said that I see anecdotal evidence as having little value in 
the discourse on socialized medicine.  Similarly, I think that to base your 
argument against the Independent on one misleading headline is really weak.  
Misleading headlines seem to be a relatively minor error for a publication; 
by contrast, virtually every American media outlet at some point projected 
Al Gore as winner of the 2000 election.  Mistakes happen across the board.  
That's why it's important to approach all sources with skepticism and to, on 
important issues, verify across sources.  Articles that are easier to 
understand are better articles, but that doesn't absolve readers of a 
responsibility to read carefully.

If you want to have a real discussion about socialized medicine, or about 
journalistic integrity, or about the underlying differences between your and 
Arlo's political philosophies, I'm all ears.  But the present discussion is 
neither.

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