Thomas Friedman is a Fool

One of the better known columnists at the New York Times is Thomas Friedman. Sadly, something has happened to him. The thoughtful and interesting columns that he used to write have turned into polemics spouting nonsense. Not too long ago, he wrote about the superiority of the Chinese system of government over that of the United States. This "rational thinker" now argues that a totalitarian state which allows a large measure of economic freedom is preferable to a nation that guarantees freedom for its citizens in all areas. Indeed, it is funny to think what would happen if Friedman were at work at a Chinese newspaper and wrote a column extolling the virtues of another country's government over that of China. In short, the column would not run, but Friedman would have to run (away from the police). He is praising a system where he could not even say the same thing.

Today, Friedman's column is "explaining" why the Republicans need to be crushed iin 2012. Simply put, the GOP has to move away from its current principles, according to Friedman, and come closer the where the Democrats are. This will allow compromise in Friedman's view. Otherwise, the GOP just presents radical proposals like this one: the GOP wants to cut spending and not raise taxes! This is a radical view that must be excised from the party in Friedman's world.

Friedman even explains that for things like entitlements, there cannot be cuts and there must be tax increases. What utter nonsense! The three main federal entitlements are social security, medicare and medicaid. There used to be a fourth: welfare. In the 1990's, the GOP reformed welfare despite the screams of the Democrats that no such reform could ever work. The Republicans were attacking the poor was the common view among Democrats. But the changes were made, millions of folks moved off of the welfare rolls and the country was better off for it. Now we have a sponge like Medicaid that slurps up cash at an ever-increasing rate. In 2010, spending on Medicaid was just over $400 billion. Obamacare, however, has enlarged the number of folks eligible for Medicaid by about 20%, so by next year, Medicaid spending will likely pass half a trillion dollars. In each state, the parameters of eligibility and most of the benefits are set by the federal government. This one size fits all system does not work. Those who need help in New York are not the same group that needs help in Arkansas. Without a doubt, the system would work much more efficiently if the states were able to determine who got coverage and what that coverage included. Moving the decision back to the states would also save billions of dollars. Republicans want to fix Medicare spending and then block grant it back to the states. This would stop growth in the program, cut costs and provide better coverage for most in the program. In other words, it would cut the entitlement costs that Friedman says cannot be done while improving service at the same time.

The truth is that Friedman has become a walking talking point for the left. Most of what he says is not meaningful rational thought. It is, instead, a voice of the basic belief system on the left. America is bad, so the Chinese system must be better. Big centralized government in Washington is the best, so it can never be cut. It is sad to watch this guy melt down like this. I used to enjoy his columns.