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Politics : A US National Health Care System?
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To: Archie Meeties who wrote (8584)8/21/2009 5:17:45 PM
From: Lane32 Recommendations  Read Replies (1) of 42652
 
A better system would tilt more toward government promotion of health based on science and less towards satisfying the immediate wishes of the consumer (gasp!).

That's a very paternalistic attitude, disrespectful to the citizenry. Our citizenry may be stupid, irrational, short-sighted, etc., but we in a democracy at least maintain the fiction that folks can think for themselves and by and large make competent decisions. Even if they can't, they have a right to their own choices under the Constitution. I admit that sometimes it's tempting to think that the "experts" know what's best for us, better than we know ourselves. Well, if not ourselves, then certainly the other guy. Often they do. I am personally fond of the notion of a wise and benevolent despot. Ideally that would be the most effective and efficient system of government. But despots have power and there is no assurance that they will be either wise or benevolent. So we don't authorize them. In democracies majorities have power. But majorities are not reliably wise or benevolent either. So we constrain their power. We accept the imperfect and messy world of freedom because it's the best choice.

Think how you would like it if "the other guys" were to gain that power. Then you can understand why you shouldn't allow anyone to have it.
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