Beware of Half Truths about Healthcare Reform

That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies;
That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright;
But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight.
-- Alfred Tennyson Tennyson

I could write for 2 hours about the many articles that I have read that give a very incomplete, data-lacking, sub-par, politically spun (on all sides) overview of the healthcare landscape along with the possibilities and potential pitfalls of healthcare reform how it is being described to date. I won't bore you or reinforce their political positioning with more links.

This one, I will share because it well represents all that can do harm in terms of the dissemination of incompleteness of information in our society. I wrote a response to one article (there were many half truth/half fiction/anecdotal pieces) and I wanted to share it.

Let's be clear, there is going to be a battle in the reformation of our healthcare system in the U.S. I hope we can at the least share some full truths along the way as we get there.

In response to the blog at Public Plan Facts (loosely used word--"facts")

I am 100% for sharing both sides of a story. From what I have read there is intentionality in the writers for this site, not doing that. The rhetorical argument is one-sided and when citing stats only gives the content that supports your argument "that healthcare reform how we see it is bad for Americans and bad for the country" without presenting information that even edges close to being balanced.

These tactics will not work with the American people any longer. If the 2008 elections have told us anything, the people want to choose not be emotionally cajoled into thinking a particular way or resisting something based on incomplete information.

Say what you feel you need to say. Intentionally omitting important information or spinning the information that is out there is absolutely harmful to people and I hope that your tactics don't cause more harm than good.

Make it a great day!