Less people in poverty now than in 2000, BUT …

… the media finds a way to spin it into a negative:

The nation’s poverty rate declined last year for the first time this decade, but the number of Americans without health insurance rose to a record 47 million, according to annual census figures released yesterday.

Brent Baker at Newsbusters has more on how the media portrayed this story.

Brian at Liberty Voice has a must-read post up in which he delivers a big can of whoop-a** not only on the media, but on society in general and their mixed up priorities. A preview:

So there you have it, folks. This is what it means to be poor in America. Owning your own home, maybe two cars, air conditioning, VCRs and DVD players, cable television, microwaves, stereos, dishwashers, etc. Yet they can’t afford their own health insurance.

It’s called “priorities”, and obviously people are more interested in buying luxury items than health insurance. The main reason why people don’t have health insurance when it’s not offered to them from their employer or they make too much to qualify for Medicaid is simple: they’d rather have nice things than buy insurance. They’re younger, in good health, good shape…why would they throw away $500-$1000/month on something they might not use very often, if at all, when they can instead spend that money on a kick-a** [Edited – language. –ST] stereo?

If you want to know why healthcare costs are so high, it’s because of one reason: we give it away for free to too many people. If it’s free, they’re going to use and abuse it, whereas if they were paying for it themselves, they’d take an aspirin and stay home.

I know that sounds harsh, but think about it. Those of you with health insurance, the kind that you pay for, when you get a cold or the flu, do you go see the doctor? Or do you take some over-the-counter medicine and stay in bed? You do the second thing, right?

Now, those of you on Medicare/Medicaid or employer-paid health insurance, when you get a cold or the flu, what do you do? You beat your a** Edited-ST down to the doctor’s office, don’t you? Despite knowing there’s little he can do but tell you to get some rest, drink plenty of fluids, and prescribe you some cough syrup or whatnot (stuff that does, basically, the exact same thing as what you can buy at the store). It’s a needless trip, and a needless expense.

What the Democrats, and now the media, are ignoring is that fewer people in poverty means that more people can afford their own insurance…IF they choose to buy it, that is. If they’re more interested in buying all the latest gadgets and gizmos, then no, they probably won’t.

Read the whole thing.