# "It's a total victory for the health insurance industry" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 1, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273 "2009-10-01T20:36:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273/21 "2009-10-02T22:30:47Z")
> [@hobscrk777](#): > > a.k.a. plutocracy I had a feeling there was a specific word for that. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273/22 "2009-10-03T02:57:51Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The only way to have a government too small to be worth influencing is to have one so small it can’t do much of anything at all. A failed state in other words. You could just limit what powers the government possesses. Just because a government is permitted to pass laws to prohibit people from causing harm to others does not mean they must have the power to create subsidies or start wars. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273/23 "2009-10-03T03:27:06Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > To count past ten, I have to take of my socks. To count past twenty, I have to take of my underpants. Sometimes simply arithmatic is beyond me. I can’t even blame it on bad education. :smack: I am increasingly glad that I wasn’t around to help you measure the snowfall. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273/24 "2009-10-03T03:36:34Z")
It was deep. Deep enough that a big snowplow got stuck on my road. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273/25 "2009-10-03T03:47:51Z")
Any more than eight inches falls, I’m pretty much at a loss. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273/26 "2009-10-03T04:11:40Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Any more than eight inches falls, I’m pretty much at a loss. zip… yup 11 on the dot 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273/27 "2009-10-03T04:22:10Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > [QUOTE=Der Trihs] > The only way to have a government too small to be worth influencing is to have one so small it can’t do much of anything at all. A failed state in other words. You could just limit what powers the government possesses. Just because a government is permitted to pass laws to prohibit people from causing harm to others does not mean they must have the power to create subsidies or start wars. [/QUOTE] But that still would leave it well within the realm of being powerful enough to be worth influencing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-total-victory-for-the-health-insurance-industry/512273.md?page=1)