Reply to "America's Health Care System"

quote:

Originally posted by Husker:
Theoretically we live in a very sophisticated democracy where sometimes the masses permit a very few to become wealthy under the thought that it benefits us all with a trickle down effect. I can't remember seeing much of that within any recent times.
I wonder if that argument even holds any water any more?

-- Never invested in a business? or the stock market? 401k? I'd say it definitely holds water.


Of course. The point is that I think the masses of which unfortunately I am one are considering why the disparities between the haves and the have nots is widening and why the haves get bailed out and the have nots don't. As someone said (Bruce Springstein), "high times on Wall Street...hard times on Main Street". I thought that was what the past Presidential election was all about, i.e., the common working man wanting some consideration vs. Goldman-Sachs?



Then there was this little disagreement amongst the states that basically was over whether one human being had the right to own another. A lot of people refer to it as the US Civil War. I think you can Google that or maybe follow up on the history channel a little?

-- You need to watch the History Channel a little closer. The Civil War wasn't about one human being owning another. It was about the ability of a state to make that determination. That little thing called State's Rights - all powers not enumerated to the government are passed on to the states.
Ah yes, of course. Forgive me for overly simplifying. I entirely understand the concept of States Rights and even tend to agree with it. The problem I have with that argument here is the purpose for which States Rights was argued. It wasn't exactly over who should retain the right of motor vehicle registrations now was it?


I know that I now feel that all Americans should have a right, an unalienable right to decent health care regardless of where it comes from, and if that makes me a radical, then so be it.

-- All Americans have a right to be able to seek decent health care. What gives the government the right to take money from me and give it to a single individual for their use? Why should I have to pay for someone who is a drug abuser? an alcoholic? morbidly obese? engages in high risk unprotected sex? As someone has said - they have no skin in the game.

OO, oo! I know the answer to this one. Call on me! It's called taxation. It's not a right, it's an authority. Taxes are collected and distributed as legislated. Money can be spent on such socialist endevers as public school education even if you don't have children and public highways, even though you might not have a car and drive. It might even spend your money here in NY even though you never come here. I personally have difficulty with the abstractness of that at times myself



I'm in good company with these other arrogant, leftist
Americans like Jefferson, Lincoln and maybe even FDR and it makes me feel good about myself. I understand that it isn't easy being a leader like Jefferson and that it is difficult to separate some concepts from pre existing conditions like slavery without a little discomfort, and that those that you are attempting to persuade to see your point are also your fellow Americans, and you stood shoulder to shoulder with in the foxhole, but sometimes they actually have to take their heads out of their asses.

-- I think Jefferson and FDR would be diametrically opposed in their ideologies

Yes. One was a southerner and the other a dam liberal NY'er. Probably wouldn't even sit at the same table together. I don't think FDR ever owned slaves though?
I didn't care for the part where he attempted to stack the Supreme Court. That was stepping over the line...even for me.

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