Just when you think the US right wing could not possibly get more insane, not to mention openly fascist, someone or something comes along that makes your jaw drop so far you’re eating lunch off the doormat.
Sue Lowden is a former local tv news bimbo and Nevada GOP chair who’s running against current Senate Leader Harry Reid. Her big idea for those millions of US citizens without health insurance is that they barter with their doctors for care -with chickens, or hay or alfalfa or bathtubs, even.
From the Huffington Post:
Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden on Tuesday defended her claim that a “chickens for checkups” barter system would be an effective alternative to the recently-passed health care reform bill.
She also said her original comments on the proposal were taken “way out of context.”
Lowden, who is seeking to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada, explained her previous statement in an interview with a local news outlet in Nevada:
“The truth of the matter is there is bartering going on in this state and in the country. It has been going on for years and it was a casual statement talking about the reality of what’s going on, and not in a negative way by the way. This is something — you know when I talk about bartering like you said it’s also bargaining for the price, asking doctors if there’s a different price if you’re paying cash or paying by check. We know this is going on.”
She’s tried to back off her statements more than once since, but the more she wriggles, the worse it gets. Someone’s even been helpful enough to design a handy chicken/care calculator. What I want to know is what about the more expensive procedures, like transplants? That’s an awful lot of chickens to cart around, and let’s not even mention the guano. It’s no good switching to bigger currency either – for example, can anyone tell me where I can get change for a herd of Friesians?
