Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Anecdote as Data: the Hairdresser's Tale

The lady who does Mrs. B's hair is outraged at the health care mandate. She says she'll pay the tax. Narrowly speaking, she might be right: paying the tax probably will be cheaper for her than getting health care would be.

She's in some way typical of an definable demographic. She's about 30, single and unattached, no insurance (and apparently doesn't want it). She's perhaps unusual in that she seems to follow politics with a lot of care, and says she votes.

And as I say, she's angry. Yes, yes, I know, wonks can tell her from now until doomsday that comprehensive care doesn't work without mandates,. They can even try to tell her that it is "only fair" that the young and healthy get in the pool (though is it? Do we really need any more transfers of wealth from the young to the old?).

Obviously, her eyes glaze over. My guess is that there are an awful lot of people in her cohort with the same attitude. The Democrats had better hope that most of them (unlike the hairdresser) just don't bother vote.

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