5 ms·
I can't refer to the legislation by its name because I consider its name disingenuous. A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but calling dung a rose does
by ctdonath 13y ago
I can't refer to the legislation by its name because I consider its name disingenuous. A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but calling dung a rose doesn't make it smell any better. Words mean things; "affordable" the act isn't. The legislation itself raises all sorts of issues that have nothing to do with health care.
ETA: "Obamacare" is used because it's a catchy name which is both quite descriptive (Obama pushed this healthcare law thru, so he owns it) and is not inherently insulting (like "Bushoppression" or "Obamasux" mentioned elsewhere in this thread). Use of this popular nickname causes a frenzy because of its subject, not its inherent phrasing - it is not an ad-hominem attack.
- skwirl 13y agoWhat do you call the PATRIOT act?
- Permit 13y agoPlease. We call the "Patriot Act" the "Patriot Act". We called SOPA by its name despite disagreeing that it would "Stop Online Piracy".
- dragonwriter 13y agoIts not "the Patriot Act". Its "the USA PATRIOT Act". And USA PATRIOT is not just a ridiculous emotional appeal embedded into a name, its also an acronym for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism".
- jack-r-abbit 13y agoI find it hard to believe the long title came first and just happened to condense to USA PATRIOT. That had to be at least partially a backronym[1]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronym http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronym
- kapitalx 13y agoAs an anecdote, we signed up my inlaws for $2/month after subsidies. Until now they couldn't afford the $900/month so they didn't have insurance. I'd say that's pretty affordable, almost free.
- trebor 13y agoIt isn't free. Someone else is paying your parent's bill, either through their own premiums (which some say have tripled, though they have no prior conditions) or through taxes. Don't judge the price till the bill takes full effect; you may not be smiling.
- timdiggerm 13y agoThis is as ridiculous as Stallman's insisting on calling things by the wrong name all the time.
- mkramlich 13y agoThink of it this way. Let's say the two of us were talking. And your real name was John Smith (making this up, I have no idea and not relevant). I had a choice between referring to you as "idiot" or "John." The latter is factually correct, neutral and lacks emotional triggers. Using your logic, you shouldn't call Social Security Social Security you should call it FDR Forced Set Asides. Because you know, nobody likes being forced by the government to set aside their hard earned cash by some politician, and one who's personally and solely responsible for that happening. And which has absolutely no upside to it at all, of course. But wait, that wouldn't be true. So people don't do that. They call it Social Security. Because that is it's name, and is less loaded, and more politically neutral.
- aestra 13y agoUm, I don't consider "Obamacare" emotional, I consider it neutral. I just think it's a catchy nickname for legislation. It is neither negative or positive.
- awj 13y ago> Um, I don't consider "Obamacare" emotional, I consider it neutral. Read some of the opposition to it. For many people it is not a neutral name.
- gnaritas 13y agoIt doesn't matter what you consider it, it matters what others consider it and it most certainly is emotional to most. That the affordable care act polls higher than Obamacare should make that clear to you.
- mkramlich 13y ago> (Obama pushed this healthcare law thru, so he owns it) Facts: Congressional majority voted in favor of it, then Obama signed it, turning it into the law of the land. All those individuals were voted into their jobs by the American people, by a majority of voters. The Supreme Court then upheld it. The same President who, as you said, pushed for it, and signed it into law, and who was the candidate of the very party which also comprised the overwhelming majority of the Congressional votes which turned it into law, was then chosen by a majority of voters to be re-elected as President for a second term. Now, that law is starting to finally go fully into effect. This is how government works. All the key players above were either elected directly (or put into place indirectly by the former) by a majority of American voters. Your side (I assume), lost. It happens. This is a democracy.