The contradictions in Republican arguments, including our friend, Ma, are legion, but at least MA R is honest about not wanting us to help our neighbors, so kudos for that.

The fundamental problem, that really gets under the skin of ideological conservatives, is that virtually every social program Democrats and progressives have introduced over the last century has been wildly successful and wildly popular. They like to pretend these programs are failing, claim they are unpopular, and lament their "burdens" - but it's all a con game. The ACA already changed the landscape, but most Republicans can't admit they lost. People want coverage, now we're just discussing how to make it happen.

And the canard about government not being able to run anything is belied every day. The only people who can't run government are Republicans. It's ironic that people give them any credit for national security or economic expertise, since they are particularly bad at both. (I'll give you Harding, Hoover, Coolidge, Reagan, Bush and Bush as examples - every one presided over a recession induced by their policies. Republican Presidents and Recessions: A Pattern Trump Would Like to Break - Bloomberg.)

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich