Another Thing About Woodrow Lloyd

The buzz of the American wonkosphere appears to be the relationship between Progressives and eugenics, and what (if anything) that means about the reproductive rights debate today. (I'm not going to collect all the links: here's a Ross Douthat post.)

Nothing substantive to add right now. I would be remiss, though, if I didn't point out that Saskatchewan CCF/NDP Premier and introduer-of-Medicare Woodrow Lloyd never wrote a Master's Thesis advocating sterilizing the unfit. Unlike some people.

What about Woodrow Lloyd?

In the course of a Matthew Yglesias thread about the relationship between federalism and socialized medicine, "Michael" states that Tommy Douglas first introduced universal health insurance to Saskatchewan. I imagine 99% of educated Canadians think this is true.

But, of course, Medicare was actually introduced under the premiership of Woodrow Lloyd after a nasty showdown with the province's doctors. Douglas had already moved to federal politics.

History's unfair to the uncharismatic.

We're #7

When you google "Woodrow Lloyd." Pith & Substance comes right after Wikipedia, NUPGE, the Saskatchewan NDP and the CBC archives.

That was a little too easy. It's a shame.

Update: Hey, when you are as posthmously obscure as Woodrow, all publicity is good publicity.