I always love the smug "I'm better than you are" ton of liberal columns in the New York Times -- especially when they reveal the hypocrisy of the liberal writers, editors, and ownership of that once great newspaper.

Take Nick Kristof's latest column.

If Joe Lieberman or other senators came across John Brodniak writhing in pain on the sidewalk, they presumably would jump to help him and rush him to a hospital.

Unfortunately, an emergency room won’t help — indeed, the closest E.R. has told him not to come back, he says. So, for those members of Congress who are wavering on health reform, listen to John’s story.

And most of the column that follows movingly tells us of this man's medical woes and uses them in an attempt to emotionally blackmail Americans into supporting some version of ObamaCare -- despite the fact that even if it passed tomorrow we would see a five-year lag before Americans get the promised health care (but no lag before the taxes to pay for that health care go into effect -- they would start immediately).

But interestingly enough, there are the things that Kristof does not do.

He doesn't follow up on the allegations of illegal behavior by one of the local hospitals, which has allegedly closed its ER to John, despite federal and state laws to the contrary. A little naming and shaming might have brought that hospital into compliance with the law -- and resulted in prosecution of those who have threatened to violate John's rights under existing law -- but that would have distracted from Kristof's purpose, which is apparently naming and shaming every liberal Democrat's least favorite senator, free-thinking independent Joe Lieberman. Ncik is more than willing to give Joe Lieberman the blame for the illegal actions of a hospital -- and in doing so, Kristof leaves John "writhing in pain on the sidewalk" by not doing what he can to get him help right now.

He doesn't provide his readers with any indication of how they might personally help John and his family with the medical bills. After all, I suspect that if every reader of the column kicked in ten bucks we could probably get John the treatment he needs. But doing so would get in the way with the clear purpose of the article -- namely getting government to require compulsory payments rather than voluntary charity to pay for health care for those John. You see, ObamaCare will leave John "writhing in pain on the sidewalk" for a very long time, because of the years of lag time before it will provide a single penny of help for individuals like John.

And, of course, Kristof doesn't tell us how much he, personally, has donated to aid John, which tells me that he has metaphorically left him "writhing in pain on the sidewalk" by not sparing him so much as one thin dime in charity. Nor does Kristof tell us what his editors and colleagues have given, leading me to believe that they have also chosen to leave John "writhing in pain on the sidewalk" in the name of supporting ObamaCare. Ditto the New York Times Company and its major shareholders (like Carlos Slim, the third richest man in the world) -- Kristof has probably not made any sort of appeal to them, again indicating that this reliable liberal is prepared to leave John "writhing in pain on the sidewalk" if it will somehow get ObamaCare through the Senate.

No, instead of doing any of the things that he could to help John get the help he needs right now, Nick uses him for propaganda purposes. You see, rather than act to help the man now, he'd rather see the federal government pick the pockets of every American for years before even a single American benefits under ObamaCare -- in the process hurting millions of American families like mine while holding out the promise of "free health care" at some future date, never mind that said "free health care" will cost more and give us less than what most Americans are paying for and receiving today.

Because after all -- liberalism is all about feeling good about yourself for getting the government to make others do what you would never voluntarily do yourself.

UPDATE: Nick more or less confirms for us that he and the NY Times have done nothing to help poor John, instead choosing to leave him "writhing in pain on the sidewalk" for political purposes. After all, he states that there is no fund to help John and his family, though he magnanimously supplies it for those who actually feel like doing what Kristof and his cronies at the Times won't do -- namely help John out voluntarily. The address is: John and Esther Brodniak, 770 W Main St., Sheridan, OR 97378. Be generous to the degree your conscience urges.

Otheres blogging include Michelle Malkin, Three Sources, Professor Bainbridge, Vocal Minority