Insurance company profits, trial lawyers and Saul Alinsky

According to an Associated Press report, "Healh insurers' profits surged in 2009."

Of course, the "progressive" statists used the news to demonize greedy insurance companies.

To wit,

In a speech on the Senate floor, (Sen. Harry Reid) attacked WellPoint and other "greedy insurance companies that care more about profits than people."

This is classic Saul Alinsky - demonize the opposition.

And it is exactly what the "conservative" statists do when they argue for corporatist legislation to protect these same insurance companies: Demonize the "greedy trial lawyers" for "demanding" a mutually agreed upon compensation.

Demonization is very effective. However, it does not address any substantative issue. That, of course, is Alinsky's entire point.

Substance does not matter. Only achieving one's ends matters.

Remember that when either end of the statist spectrum starts complaining about how much money someone makes.