Another radical to oversee Medicare

Even so-called sacred trusts like Medicare aren't safe from Obama's radicals. The New York Times has reported that Obama will appoint Dr. Donald Berwick, a pediatrician and Cambridge academic, to head up the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Both have been without an agency leader since 2006.

Berwick is a self-styled health care "revolutionary" who wants to "blow up" the system. His plan is to tear the existing health care system down and rebuild something new in its place. In other words, he's a perfect fit with our current president.

And then there's this, uncovered by World Net Daily.

At a 2008 Families USA conference speech documented by Health Beat, a healthcare industry blog, Berwick slammed the U.S. health-care system as "bloated" and "broken."

The blog points out Berwick noted, "There's a myth that American healthcare is the best in the world."

"It's not," he continued. "It's not even close."

"It's thought to be the best because we have the most health care," Berwick stated. However, he said, "40 percent of the care that Americans actually need is not received. ... Cost is the barrier.

"Here is a question I often ask my students," added Berwick. "When you meet a new patient, what is the one test that you could do that would tell you how long that patient is likely to live?

"Typically, students answer: 'Ask them if they smoke,' or 'Test their blood sugar.'

"No," Berwick said. "Just look at the color of their skin."

African-Americans may indeed be at greater health risks, but this is not related in any way to the American health care system.

Berwick has no bureaucratic or governmental experience whatsoever. He's more of an Ivory Tower health philosopher, dispensing edicts from on high about how there's too much money in the health care system. But when push comes to shove, it's difficult to figure out what his concrete solutions are. If Berwick survives his Senate confirmation, he'll have direct control over the lives of one-third of Americans, who depend on Medicare and Medicaid. He'll also help to implement ObamaCare, including moving 16 million new people onto Medicaid and extracting hundreds of billions in waste from Medicare.