Melissa at Shakesville made an excerpt from this steaming pile of fail from David Brooks her quote of the day, and it bears repeating:
"Like all great public issues, the health care debate is fundamentally a debate about values. It's a debate about what kind of country we want America to be. ... Reform would make us a more decent society, but also a less vibrant one. ... America would be a less youthful, ragged and unforgiving nation, and a more middle-aged, civilized and sedate one."—David Brooks
Um, what?
DOES NOT...COMPUTE
Health reform makes us less vibrant? What does that even mean?
If by "vibrant" he means "scared to death that a misstep on the ice could result in financial ruin", then we're on the same page. Or maybe "vibrant" means "where kids die from cavities." Or "where a diagnosis with a major disease means not only financial but also career suicide."
And here all this time I thought vibrant meant "vigorous, lively, and vital."
Here's a newsflash, just for Mr. Brooks: "Ragged and unforgiving" is only romantic when you're at the opera. (Even there, it doesn't turn out too well for our heroine, if you may recall.) Off the stage, living a fraction of a step from disaster is certainly dramatic, but not in a good way. Oh, and the last time I checked, "civilized"? Is a good thing.