Evan Falchuk has a thoughtful entry about “death panels” – Three Reasons Why “Death Panel” Myths Live On

With all the attention paid to the subject, you’d think these stories should be dead by now. But when asked if they think something like “death panels” are real, only 23% said “no.” A full 73% said they didn’t know or thought the answer was “yes.”

To understand why this idea sticks, you should read Made to Stick. I believe it sticks because it is a catchy phrase. It avoids the Curse of Knowledge – as Evan actually discusses – by providing a simplified idea. We remember simple ideas.

Evan does make a most important point about legislation – almost nobody really knows the details of any bill. Our legislative process has major problems.

I could probably make a strong reasoned argument against any bill. I know that I could make a strong argument against part of health care reform – when we finally get a bill to dissect. However, I can also make a strong argument in favor of any bill. It depends on what we find most important.

I have discussed in the past why I favor these flawed bills.

There are no death panels.