What does garbage have to do with the debate over health care reform? In Gwinnett County, Ga., quite a lot.
Several years ago, Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta contracted with a non-profit organization to study the county's sanitation system and recommend improvements. The organization did its work, gathered input from stakeholders, and crafted a well thought-out, comprehensive plan. It included reducing the number of haulers and requiring that all homeowners pay for sanitation. The plan was supposed to go into effect in January of this year.
And what happened? Once it became public, the many people who had been paying no attention to the process for the past few years began screaming socialism. And the commissioners tossed the utterly reasonable plan in the can.
We can't let this happen to health care. It helps to win the debate when we understand why people get so afraid, how the debate breaks down, and how to persuade people in the middle.
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