# Chuck Norris isn't all bad, he's for socialized medicine **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 2, 2009, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073 "2009-05-02T08:55:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/1 "2009-05-02T08:55:15Z")
It’s popular in some quarters to bash the Religious Right eight ways to Sunday. But I maintained for years that the Christian part of the Christian Right was the one part of the GOP that could save it. I was looking [this link](http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56107) that [**MEBuckner** provided](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11098210#post11098210) & among some amazingly bizarre statements, found this: > [@](#): > > If I’m elected president, I will… > > **Require Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to personally pay for national, comprehensive medical coverage for every American (or meet me in the Rose Garden).** That’s the sort of thing that gives me hope. Out there in the cultural right, there are those who believe (however confusedly) in communitarian, Christic values rather than hyper-individualism. Let’s hope that flame is fanned, & the Chuck Norrises of the USA aren’t “educated” away from it by “wiser heads” in the Religious Right. Of course, given the knee-jerk Libertarian bent of this board, most of you will take it as just more evidence of his idiocy. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/2 "2009-05-02T09:15:04Z")
Well, first of all, I think the whole article is intended to be his attempt at being a humorist. Secondly, I had the impression that his tagging of Gates and Buffet to pick up the tab was intended to be read as punishing them for not being WND-acceptably doctrinaire in their economic and political outlooks. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/3 "2009-05-02T09:55:19Z")
So that’s really an anti-socialized medicine stance? As in, “If you want socialized medicine, _you pay for it!_”? Maybe. But it’s pretty much what I, as an advocate of tax-funded medical care, advocate. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/4 "2009-05-02T12:45:26Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > So that’s really an anti-socialized medicine stance? As in, “If you want socialized medicine, _you pay for it!_”? > > Maybe. > > But it’s pretty much what I, as an advocate of tax-funded medical care, advocate. Personally, I don’t think there’s a stance on socialized medicine there, at all, just a shout-out to a “topical” issue that is only coincidentally “socialized medicine.” It’s formulaic “humor” from someone who has no real grasp of satire, directed at an audience that also has not demonstrated a real grasp of satire. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/5 "2009-05-03T01:09:34Z")
Is the OP serious? If someone wants two (self-made) wealthy individuals to pay for everybody else’s healthcare, that raises your opinion of that person? Somebody is not serious, either Chuck Norris or **foolsguinea** , or both. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/6 "2009-05-03T01:29:58Z")
If it was anyone else, I’d say the OP was trolling. But I think **foolsguinea** actually feels that way, knee-jerk anti-libertarian hate and all. Chuck Norris stopped being funny when Chuck Norris got in on the act. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/7 "2009-05-03T01:47:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Is the OP serious? > > If someone wants two (self-made) wealthy individuals to pay for everybody else’s healthcare, that raises your opinion of that person? > > Somebody is not serious, either Chuck Norris or **foolsguinea** , or both. No kidding. Serious or not, anybody who truly feels that way is seriously delusional. Those two guys have contributed quite a bit to philanthropy. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/8 "2009-05-03T02:02:31Z")
Seeing as another one of his campaign promises is to do the following, I think we can safely say that Chuck Norris is trying to be funny. > [@Chuck Norris](#): > > Resurrect Bruce Lee and appoint him head of homeland security (OK, the CIA and FBI too). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/9 "2009-05-03T06:28:21Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Of course, given the knee-jerk Libertarian bent of this board . . . This is whoosh, right? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/10 "2009-05-03T06:33:56Z")
Not really. Obviously, the board is very diverse, but I really thought a post like this would draw free-marketers like flies. Unfortunately, Chuck Norris is so incoherent, no one can tell what he really thinks about socialized medicine, so no debate. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/11 "2009-05-03T06:52:40Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Not really. Obviously, the board is very diverse, but I really thought a post like this would draw free-marketers like flies. What makes you think we give any weight to his opinons? Are you incapable of distinguishing between a socially conservative, fiscally liberal authoritarian like Chuck Norris and a socially liberal, fiscally conservative libertarian? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/12 "2009-05-03T22:33:50Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > What makes you think we give any weight to his opinons? Are you incapable of distinguishing between a socially conservative, fiscally liberal authoritarian like Chuck Norris and a socially liberal, fiscally conservative libertarian? No, I meant you would say _what you just said._ Chuck is Christian-Right & authoritarian, therefore to the Libertarians on this board, he’s just wrong _down the line._ So while I as a social democrat see this as hope for the Christian Right (depending on what he really thinks), you lot will see it as more socialist-medieval antirational horror on the level of Cthulhu. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/13 "2009-05-04T23:52:34Z")
To be clear: it’s not that I think the USA should really write a writ of attainder on Buffet & Gates & make them fund social programs; it’s that I would like to see a tax (even a flat tax) for medical care as a common good, & this would mean that its fund would be as much funded by them as their incomes are part of the GDP (which is, what, 5% or something). ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/14 "2009-05-05T00:30:29Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > …Buffet & Gates… as their incomes are part of the GDP (which is, what, 5% or something). How do you calculate 5% or something? Buffet and Gates **income** (~ 500 million?) would be less than 0.01% of GDP of 14 trillion dollars. Even if you discard income and use an inflated figure such as their **net worth** (~ 120 billion?), it’s still less than 1%. Anyways, it makes sense to me. It’s not enough to tax them more. Let’s also tax them on money they don’t even have. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/15 "2009-05-05T01:00:42Z")
Unless I miss my guess, I think friend **FG** was attempting what is known in some circles as a “joke” - a jape, a jest, a bit of tomfoolery. There are Shirley mathtards amongst us, and I stand in the front ranks of the afflicted, but I don’t see his name on our list. ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/16 "2009-05-05T01:04:51Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Unless I miss my guess, I think friend **FG** was attempting what is known in some circles as a “joke” I got that the OP was a joke but I thought the 5% in post #13 was actually a semi-serious statistic. My apologies for being so dense. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/17 "2009-05-05T01:05:23Z")
Nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/18 "2009-05-05T22:16:17Z")
That and didn’t he say he planned on running on president of _Texas_ if they secede? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/19 "2009-05-06T17:28:52Z")
LOL Texas then will be able to say “Oh yeah?!?!?!! Well my president can beat up your president” But California is safe. We have a governator. That trumps everything 😃 ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-norris-isnt-all-bad-hes-for-socialized-medicine/495073/20 "2009-05-06T22:51:55Z")
I have no idea what Gates’s income is relative to the GDP. I was extrapolating wildly. It is, at least, orders of magnitude above 0.000 001%.