OK, this is Rush Limbaugh. And yet, I’ve always believed that Limbaugh says openly what many on the right think privately, which goes a long way toward explaining his phenomenal success. And here he is in a very short exchange on health care with William Shatner (I know, this is getting weird!). In response to Shatner’s question about the prevalence of rationing care by cost (the key problem with the American system), Limbaugh compares health care with owning a house on the beach – if you can afford it, you get it, and there’s no moral issue. We all know that this is diametrically opposed to Catholic teaching on the issue, which sees health care as a right. And most opponents of healthcare reform would probably not go as far as Limbaugh. But still, isn’t the attack on the mis-named “government take-over of healthcare” or “socialized medicine” really code for a core Calvinist principle – the objection to being responsible for the welfare of another through the tax system? Aren’t these critics really closet Limbaughs?
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In