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November 24, 2009
The very concept of socialized medicine is a disingenous fraud.
One Way Garage « An Exercise in FutilitySocialized medicine is a patent expression of self-interested greed. "I want health care for everyone." Of course, because you're magnanimous, right? You want it for everyone because everyone includes you, but if you said "I want healthcare for me (but I don't want to pay for it)", you'd be chalked up as greedy.One of the fun questions I like to poke at pro-socialized medicine people is to ask them if they would be in favor of paying taxes to fund socialized medicine that they themselves, nor anyone they ever personally met, would be a recipient of those services.
Everybody says "Yes." Everybody is lying.
Posted by Vanderleun at November 24, 2009 10:05 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
Different people have different beliefs, they aren't necessarily lying.
It would be possible to even out the payments for medical care over time and not engage in theft and avoid massive deficits. There is no reason that a young family starting out with a sick child and a small income should find themselves in the middle years with a fatter income and no medical bills.
We have socialized highways and haven't devolved into serfdom. Nobody steals the (free) sugar, salt and pepper from the restaurant table. It's a question of attitude and culture.
On the other hand, we can't both lower costs and increase coverage without goring somebody's ox. And all the stakeholders are busy in Congress protecting their oxen. So we clearly won't do the best that we can do.
Posted by: Fred at November 25, 2009 1:12 AM
"Social" is a weasel word, and Hayek counted 161 variations of it. As a weasel is said to empty an egg without leaving a visible sign, so can these words suck out the content of any term to which they are attached.
Socialism is anti-social.
Posted by: james wilson at November 25, 2009 7:01 AM
"if they would be in favor of paying taxes to fund socialized medicine that they themselves, nor anyone they ever personally met, would be a recipient of those services."
This would make more sense if "neither" were inserted between "that" and "they".
Posted by: Anonymous at November 25, 2009 10:57 PM
Previous comment owned up to.
Posted by: Fat Man at November 25, 2009 10:57 PM
j wilson: Many do believe in and do pay the taxes. People in the euro socialized countries pay for something they believe they will eventually benefit from. It removes a whole section of social anxiety from life. You don't worry about whether the red lights at the intersection will work, nor about the pavement. Imagine the waste if you had to worry about them.
Similarly, people from Israel to Norway get pretty good medical care and don't worry about medical bankruptcy or not being able to pay for antibiotics or their heart pills or the pain meds for their arthritis when they get older.
With some normal competence and the ability to gore the oxen of the powerful, the USA could put together universal coverage at an affordable cost. Instead, it will feed the fat cats at the public trough; the insurance companies, the drug companies, some doctors, pharmacy chains, specialists, and all the others that can pay lobbyists. The Right should be cleaning up the system instead of killing it. Medical coverage provides liberty. Liberty to live how you please.
Posted by: Fred at November 30, 2009 4:26 PM