Monday, January 12, 2015

Ha Ha Ha Harvard

Wow. Sometimes, it takes the eggheads a long time to catch up to what the rest of us already realize. This seems to be the case with the good liberals at Harvard, who are shocked that Obamacare is going to cost them more. Read these complaints and laugh that a supposedly super-intelligent person could only now be getting this...

The background is this. Harvard has decided that it will make its professors and staff pay more toward their own healthcare because of the changes Obamacare has caused. Not only did many of these same professors advocate for Obamacare, but some even helped draft it. Harvard economist David Cutler, for example, advised Obama on the law in 2008. He now notes that while Harvard remains a very generous employer, the school’s professorial ranks have so far avoided being asked to pick up the added costs Obamacare has imposed... until now.

Others are less sanguine about this.

Harvard Professor of classics, specifically Virgil, Richard Thomas slammed the higher fees he will be paying, calling them “deplorable, deeply regressive, a sign of the corporatization of the university.”

Wow. Ok, let’s start with that. For a highly paid Ivy League college professor to whine about higher costs being “regressive” is delusional. Costs are regressive when they are imposed on poor and middle class people, not people earning six figures and more. Did old Dick not realize when he and his rich friends pimped for this that the heaviest burden would fall on the middle class? Does this 1%er not realize that the rest of us have no sympathy for the tiny percentage increase he needs to bear when the rest of us have been ordered to pony up 20% of our incomes to satisfy his need to feel generous? A-hole.

As for the corporatization of the university, what did old Dick expect? His buddy Obama created a law that handed vast amounts of power to health insurance companies. In so doing, it slaughtered the freedoms of consumers, of doctors, and of hospitals. Should we really feel bad that Harvard has decided to act “more corporate” by passing along costs that Dick and his buds forced onto Harvard and the rest of the nation’s employers?

Mary “Dirty Froggy” Lewis, a professor of French history, has taken the lead against the cost increases, calling them “a salary reduction.” Le shock! Did she not understand that would be the effect when she and her buds imposed this law on the rest of working America?

She goes further too, noting that “this pay cut will be timed to come at precisely the moment when you are sick, stressed or facing the challenges of being a new parent.” Uh, yeah. Was this unclear when you passed this? This law results in a massive monthly pay cut and then, to protect the vested corporate interests, forces you to pony up cold hard cash to meet your deductibles and out of pocket limits right at the point where you get sick. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, and it absolutely shouldn’t outrage the people who pimped for this.

Mary “Still, But Not Deep” Waters, a professor of sociology... whatever that really is, whined: “It seems that Harvard is trying to save money by shifting costs to sick people,” and “I don’t understand why a university with Harvard’s incredible resources would do this. What is the crisis?”

Wrong actually. The law sought to save money by shifting costs onto healthy people who wouldn’t otherwise buy insurance. It only whacks sick people because they are the ones trying to use this largely worthless coverage. As for the resources, Shallow Mary clearly doesn’t understand that when you impose a cost on something like a corporation, it tries to pass that on. Just as Mary would never accept a pay cut to let Harvard increase the salaries of the cleaning staff, Harvard will not take a pay cut just because Mary got a law passed to give her more health benefits.

As for the “what is the crisis” question, shouldn’t we all be asking that? Only 15% of Americans lacked health insurance, and every one of them still had a right to seek treatment. So where was the crisis? Moreover, with only 6.3 million people signing up out of 49 million, it’s pretty clear there never was a crisis. So Mary... STFU.

Ultimately, what’s really hilarious about this is the shock that these nasty changes they imposed on the rest of us 310 million saps are only intolerable now that they are applying to our elite brethren, who assumed they were immune from the consequences of their actions.

Kind of makes you smile, doesn’t it?

18 comments:

Tennessee Jed said...

I have found that "scholars" are often very knowledgeable about one very specific area, and more often than not are almost shockingly naive about most everything else. This reminds me people should never be intimidated by people from the ivy league. It also has made for one of the juiciest bits of fun I've had in a long time laughing at these pompous idiots.

Critch said...

I was a stock/commodity broker for 10 years in the 80s and my clients who were college professors were generally pretty inept at handling money...but they sure had lot's of opinions on how to spend other people's money.

Critch said...

...and I might add, I am totally convinced that higher education is a racket. Most universities are just big black holes sucking in money from the students and taxpayers and returning nothing but sports team that can't read and students totally unprepared to compete in today's world.

Anonymous said...

I read this and I was reminded of the old bumper sticker - Reality is when it happens to you. Bwuhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
GypsyTyger

BevfromNYC said...

Awww, poor souls. I really feel their pain. Btw, you realize that all these very learned Harvard professors with their multiple degrees and international reputations and all (including the former Prof. Liz Warren) have just essentially admitted that they are more stupid than...Sarah Palin. This makes me laugh.

Writer X said...

My heart breaks.

Thanks for this post. I needed the laughs today. :)

tryanmax said...

Andrew, great post to start the week, but I really think you should make Schadenfrede Friday a thing.

Kit said...

Sorry I haven't commented.

Anyway, I read about this at the National Review Online and felt a small smile creep across my face.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, I'm glad you liked the post! LOL! I have to admit that I laughed out loud when I read these complaints and how blind these people are.

AndrewPrice said...

Critch, College provides a lot of great knowledge, but those diamonds are definitely hidden in an open sewer of ignorance, arrogance, irrelevance, and plain old stupidity! A great many professors really are blind to the world.

AndrewPrice said...

GypsyTyger, So true! Nothing wakes liberals up to reality quicker than experiencing it themselves.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! Great point! :D

BTW, I understand they are whining about around $200 a year. Pathetic.

AndrewPrice said...

Writer X, Glad to make you laugh! :D

As an aside, I can't imagine a group that it would be harder to sympathize with than oblivious, arrogant, whiny, stuckup Harvard professors.

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, Sadly, we definitely live in a time where that would be easy to do.

AndrewPrice said...

Kit, This made me laugh openly.

Koshcat said...

The people deserve to get what they want; good and hard.

AndrewPrice said...

Koshcat, lol! That's a great quote! :)

BevfromNYC said...

Koshcat - I second that quote! That's what I use when anyone complains about Mayor Diblasio and Al Sharpton.

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