New Deal Numerology: A Bad Prognosis

— by Deputy Editor Tim Price, New Deal Blog, Roosevelt Institute

This week’s numbers: 32 million; 10 million; 2,700; 45; 6

32 million … is an expansive number. That’s how many Americans the Affordable Care Act will insure once implemented. Conservatives argue we should instead return to the framers’ vision of health care, which was to toss a leech on you and hope for the best.

10 million … is a pushy number. That’s how many people the ACA would add to Medicaid rolls, with the federal government covering most of the costs. But opponents claim offering all that money, even as a gift, would be “coercive” — unless it went to a Super PAC, which would make it a triumph for democracy.

2,700… is a super-sized number. That’s how many pages comprise the Affordable Care Act, to Justice Scalia’s chagrin. And if you take the last letter from the first sentence on every other page, it spells out BROCCOLI over and over again.

45… is an argumentative number. That’s how many years it’s been since the Supreme Court devoted so much time to oral hearings for one case. At six hours total, the justices were forced to sacrifice some serious nap time to serve their country.

6… is a stymied number. That’s how many of FDR’s major New Deal initiatives the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional. But ultimately, his “try something” approach proved more successful than Obama’s “try about two things, then give up.”

©2012 Courtesy of New Deal 2.0 blog, Roosevelt Institute