http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19157779
Since the NPR is a known mouthpiece of the capitalist class, its anti-public health stance is no surprise. Far more interesting in this piece is to observe how NPR capitalist propaganda works. Rather than harranguing their audience, it subtly leads it to pre-programmed conclusions by employing the genre of a morality play of a choice between lesser and greater evil in a far away land.
The plot works like that: The story is nominally about some far away, exotic place facing some tough social problem. The solution of those problems is set up as a choice between two alternatives - one that is a recognizable reflection of US official institutions - free market, democracy, local control, private entrepreneurship, consumer culture etc. while the other one is a recognizable reflection of US ideological enemies - socialism, collectivism, public programs, centralism, etc. Although both alternatives have merits and demerits, the one that reflects US institutions prevails at the end of the story.
In this particular fairy tale, the choice is between a public health care system in Mali, which, we are told, failed miserably (albeit specifics are rather sktechy), and a private for-for pay system sponsored by foreign donors which, while expensive and burdensome to the poor - nonetheless provides services previously unavailable. Then the tale focuses on the ways to improve the private system by introducing another element of the US political mythology - local/community control. So the moral of the story is that US capitalism, while not perfect, is better than other alternatives.
My only comment is that we should sent a hearty "fuck you" to NPR instead of a handout, for which they repeatedly panhandle (I wonder why, aren't their corporate sponsors paying them enough?)
Wojtek
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