03Excerpt:
“Rationing” is supposed to evoke the horror of utilitarianism, but frankly, millions of ordinary Americans are already de facto utilitarians and don’t see that as a bad thing. As long as they aren’t the ones experiencing the utilitarianism. Idiots who go mountain climbing and get stranded and use up tens of thousands of dollars from state coffers to get rescued should’ve been left on the mountain to die — unless those mountain climbers just happen to be members of your family, and then… well, that’s different…
That’s where the “waiting list” and “line up” trope comes in. People can’t imagine they’d ever be denied precious care by some bureaucrat who wishes they’d just die first. But they can more easily picture themselves stranded on a stretcher in an emergency room for two days — and needless to say, they don’t care much for that prospect.
My free advice to you is:
Stop talking about “rationing” and start talking about “waiting in line.”
