One some level, it's always nice to have a far Right Winger in office. That way, he'll speak up from time to time and you'll know what that set is thinking. It's easy to forget. We don't go to dinner parties together very often and when we do it's uncomfortable for everyone.

One of PA's right-wingers recently spoke up after Berry Friesen, Public Affairs Manager for the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (a coalition PUP helped get started), wrote this op-ed in The Patriot-News, Sen. Mike Folmer wrote a letter to the editor in response.

Here's my favorite part of Folmer's little missive:

[Government run] approaches have resulted in health care being rationed (with people being forced to wait for care and higher incidences of medical errors); hospitals cutting service, closing entirely or privatizing services; governments negotiating or otherwise setting reimbursement rates that don't work, and people's taxes going up.

OK, well, health care is already rationed. It's just rationed to people with the ability to pay for it and its rationed based on their ability to pay. Health systems really do skip tests and procedures for people with lesser insurance or no insurance. At least in a system with the government more involved more people could pay.

Hospitals cutting services? Hospitals are cutting services. Maternity care, anyone? What state do you live in, Senator?

Unworkable reimbursement rates? It seems like doctors in other countries are doing okay, but we know that in the present system the health system is setting prices that don't work. In fact, that's why they hide prices from their customers. Go ahead, ask how much a procedure will cost the next time you go to the hospital. You'll get some pretty blank stares.

It's great, though, when a far gone rightwinger puts it all on the table like this. This guy inherited the seat that Sen. Brightbill lost after the pay raise hike (and, some would argue, extensive pro-minimum-wage organizing in the district). Brightbill was pretty far to the right, but he was also the Majority Chair, so he had to act a bit more reasonably to get along. This guy is a Freshman and looking to make a name for himself, so he's going with his right wing guns blazing.

And so we know what he thinks. He cares about rich healthcare systems getting paid, making sure that people with the best insurance continue to be the people with the very best care and, no matter the logic or evidence, protecting his ideology.