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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (16354)	4/7/2010 8:55:11 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Why hasn't the GOP published a step by step analysis of the CBO estimate If the assumptions and methodology are false, its GIGO. In this particular case a big problem is simply that many of the numbers are impossible to get reliable estimates about. Doing your own analysis (or finding your own expert who has or will do it) isn't exactly called for if your point is that such analysis is likely to be wrong. But the logic behind the analysis can be analyzed with less effort and with higher confidence. I'd be happy to look in to that logic, but no one presents it. They don't give reasons why certain things will happen, as much as they state claims about what will happen. We get "it will reduce spending on X by Y", or "it will lower deficits by Z", rather than a casual chain of how these effects are going to be brought about or a logical argument for the ideas behind the analysis. To the nearest dollar or billion dollars???? And a guaranteed accuracy of 0.1%? We don't have a guaranteed accuracy of 100%. The figures could be orders of magnitude off, or in the wrong direction (positive vs. negative). "If CBO analysis where given less weight in the political debate there would be less manipulation, and they would be more useful." You know better than that....if there can't be an independent arbiter, the GOP would simply stonewall everything that comes down the pike. Your point isn't a response to mine. Assume its true and it doesn't suggest my point is false. The more weight you give on such reports, the more incentive to manipulate the reports. That's true whether the GOP stonewalls everything, runs the agenda itself to achieve its own aims, gives in to the Dems and supports whatever they want to do, or uses any other strategy. they've established a great reputation Not for estimating the costs of major federal health care programs. On that issue they have been very wrong, every time.