Donald Trump is a Big Fat Idiot

So many of these posts start with me being annoyed.

The nuisance this time is a post that many people are sharing on Facebook with a picture of Donald Trump and a quote by him criticizing the Affordable Care Act. It’s fine that people have political views different from mine, and certainly it’s fine that Trump’s views are different, because we don’t have much in common. However, there is some inaccuracy in the statement, and people are just so supportive of it that it makes me sad.

I would normally wait for someone to write a good article on it, because there is a lot of good information on there already, and surely someone will take up the challenge, but I guess they’re just not going fast enough.

Here is the quote:

“Let me get this straight. We're going to be “gifted” with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, which purportedly covers at least 10 million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it, but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a Dumbo president who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a Surgeon General who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke.”

Let’s just work our way through this.

“We're going to be “gifted” with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't”

You will not be forced to purchase any specific plan. You are required to have health insurance, and you can choose from several plans, with a better option of finding one in your price range, especially if you have a pre-existing condition, which matters a lot to me. Also, there are several exceptions and allowances available. Trump did not say you will be put in jail, but others have. For more on the rules, and the way the penalty will work, see the flowchart at http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002881604.

“which purportedly covers at least 10 million more people, without adding a single new doctor”

While the act does not require more doctors, it does have provisions for working out greater efficiency and innovation. Furthermore, you don’t necessarily need more doctors to have more access. For an interesting take on this, see http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2011/11/11/america-needs-different-doctors-not-more-doctors/.

“but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents”

Even the GOP web site on this only says “may” and “could” and “as many as”, given that the IRS will have some involvement with the mandate. It’s definitely misleading.

“written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it”

I can’t find any reference to the chairman saying he does not understand it. I suspect it is true that many of the voters did not read the entire act, but I suspect this is true with most acts. Have you tried reading one of those things? While that is not necessarily a good thing, it is no worse for this act than any other act of Congress.

“but exempted themselves from it”

As the purpose of the act is specifically to extend health coverage to people who can not already afford it, which is not an issue for members of Congress, I find this statement misleading.

“and signed by a Dumbo president who smokes”

The use of the term “Dumbo” made me wonder if maybe if this was fake, because it is so classless, but it seems to be legit. I may have been giving the Donald too much credit. Also, while you can argue that he should have quite smoking sooner, President Obama has successfully quit smoking, and kudos to him for it. Overcoming nicotine addiction is almost as hard as passing health care legislation.

“with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes”

This is a gross overstatement. There was never an issue with paying income taxes, though for a few years Social Security and Medicare taxes were not paid, because even though he had an employer, the IMF, with that being an international organization he needed to file as self-employed. This was corrected. He also took some childcare deductions that were not allowable, another common mistake. There are many people who weasel out of paying taxes more effectively, and I bet Trump is one of them. Read “Perfectly Legal” and “Free Lunch” by David Cay Johnston for more on that.

“for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect”

Completely false. One benefit that has been in effect for a while now is that dependent children can stay on their parents’ health plans until the age of 26. Previously that varied by state (for Oregon the age limit was 23). As more young people have a more difficult time finding jobs, this is a big help to them. Some other benefits relating to preventive care are in place as well. I believe the only part that does not come fully into effect until 2014 (which is not four years away) is the setup of the health care exchanges.

“by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare”

Neither program is bankrupt. It is very common to claim they are going bankrupt, but the dates keep getting pushed out, and even if those claims of several years down the road were true, which they aren’t, the “already” would still be a lie. Patently false:

http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=628

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/04/ryans-muddy-medicare-claims/

“all to be overseen by a Surgeon General who is obese”

My first thought on this is that “obese” seems a little harsh. She is not thin enough to be eligible for Trump’s fifth wife, but that’s no loss. However, people all over go to doctors who are overweight, and who smoke, and even ones who abused drugs (or at least did during medical school/residency) because none of us does everything we should do, but we do tend to defer to people who have knowledge. Dr. Benjamin has a medical degree, directed a non-profit medical clinic, served on the board of trustees of a medical school, so has a broad range of experience. Also, I have a feeling Trump would not have said this if we were talking about C. Everett Koop, but he wasn’t exactly a swimsuit model either.

“and financed by a country that's broke.”

One thing that you will see if you do go through the 2041 pages of the act is that the financing is pretty well worked out. It’s was more specific and logical than the Ryan plan. Beyond that, the country is not broke. The country has debts, but it also has assets. Given Trump’s experience with bankruptcy one would expect him to understand this a little better, but maybe that’s how he got the experience.

The rant also fails to cover the most glaring omission of all—that Obamacare is basically Romneycare, only on a national level instead of state, and that for that state, it has been working pretty well, and that Republicans who praised it in 2007 are vilifying it now.

To be fair, a lot of the things Trump is saying are things that are commonly said. They’re inaccurate, and misleading, so he could be blindly parroting them back or he could be willfully contributing to the atmosphere of ignorance and misunderstanding. People sharing and liking this, though, reinforces it. They are accepting the ignorance, and spreading it. They are acting like Donald Trump is intelligent and eloquent, neither of which is even remotely true. Is this ultimately the greatest sin of reality television? That it legitimizes horrible people and gives them fans?

I know there are people out there who are more wonkish and could do a better job. I hope someone does. When they do, I will link to it on Facebook, and re-tweet it. Until then, I am doing what I can, with one final plea. If you haven’t seen the studies, people who watch Fox News are less informed than those who watch no news at all. That is a bad thing. For the love of all that is good and holy, turn off Fox News.

Despite its imperfections, you are welcome to share and like this.