The breaking news is that the Democratic drive to push wide-sweeping health reforms has narrowly squeaked through 219 votes to 212 in the House of Representatives. The reform is reported to cost a whopping $US940 Billion, which unsurprisingly is a tad unpalatable to those Republican objectors worried about a pretty shakey economy as it is.
What might be seen as a reverse of economic decision-making orthodoxy is that we are seeing a move away from the market driven policies to a state intervention model to help the aged, poor and needy in order to reduce inefficiencies. Market driven inefficiencies? Surely not, guv! Wasn't the market meant to sort them out? And as for the return to "'Soviet-style socialism'" - yikes, the world is being turned on its head.
Of course, all this might be a bit beyond a 12-14 year old studying social studies. Or is it? At least it may offer an interesting debate about the responsibilities of government, and brings in an ethical dimension to learning about society.
It may also dovetail into the privatisation, marketisation, privatisation (and who know's, possibly some more marketisation?) of Godzone's Kiwi Rail.
UPDATE: A Fulbright scholar from NZ has recently given a lecture about the first 16 months of the Obama presidency. Watch it here.
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