Left-wing lies

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, campaigning for president, faced a rare skeptical question at a gathering of the National Association of Black Journalists in Las Vegas last week. Why does the Democrat insist on pushing socialized medicine, "particularly when it will hurt African-American communities more than anybody else?" she was asked.

"I have never advocated socialized medicine," the former first lady replied. "That has been a right-wing attack on me for 15 years."

Unfortunately, some of us still have copies of the 1,300-page proposed "Health Security Act" crafted by Mrs. Clinton's secret committee in 1993. Under it, a patient who "stepped out of line" and offered to pay cash for a doctor's services would have been subject to criminal penalties.

But such heavy reading is hardly required. What is the rationale of the nanny-staters for all their new seat belt laws, helmet laws, child restraint laws? That "everyone" will have to pay our medical costs if we're injured, of course.

That's socialized medicine. Or does Sen. Clinton regularly vote against ongoing allocations for Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP?