Do You Really Think I'm That Dumb?

Ahhh, Thanksgiving, when we stuff our faces and then sit around the table groaning with all those relatives and in-laws we only see a couple of times a year. If your family is like most, there will always be at least one person whose political leanings are diametrically opposed to yours. Sadly, in my family, my political leanings are diametrically opposed to everyone else's...

Since the rest of them all live in that great Fox News Darth Limbaugh echo chamber, they've forgotten how to think. Apparently when you let O'Reilly, et al., think for you most of the time, you figure everyone else is on the same page. So here's what I got from my nephew over the turkey on Thanksgiving.


The guy - he's in is late twenties, has a degree from a Christian college (one where they're not allowed  to say "liberal arts"), and has his own business. I guess he's doing OK: though he does still live in Mom and Dad's house, at least he pays rent. Anyhow, he was working on a contract with Depuy Orthopedics, a company that makes artificial joints and the like. I asked him if that was still in the works, and he said no. He then proceeded to explain to me that Depuy had laid off a bunch of folks the week before. According to him, it was because of "Obamacare." They had to lay off people because of the 3% tax on medical devices, which the Reeps haven't been able to repeal yet because of the Senate.

And he expects me to believe that.

I guess his "conservative arts" education never taught him to apply the "reasonableness test" to the statements of others. Fortunately for me, my education did. Here's why he's full of shit:

1. The 3% tax on medical devices is real, but it doesn't go into effect until 2013. Ain't cutting into Depuy's business...
2. The cost of a hip replacement is upwards of $30K for the surgery and the hospital stay (including the hip implant). Add on medications and physical therapy, plus modifications to your home (high-seat toilet, grab bars, etc.) and it can easily get close to $40K. If the cost of the device is $5,000; the medical device tax will be $150. On a $35K bill, that raises the total cost about 4 tenths of one per cent. Kinda doubt that is going to cut into Depuy's total hip business.
3. Depuy is on the short end of a major class-action suit for faulty design of their ASR hip replacement system in the US, UK and Canada; which the company began recalling in 2010. Somehow I suspect the "chilling effect" of the lawsuit on their business, not to mention the expense of the recall, is much greater than uncertainty over whether a 3% tax will be repealed

But that's what he thinks; because the echo chamber told him so. Conservative talk radio: because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.