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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (4725)	2/22/2008 3:59:34 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Respond to of 42652

"We acknowledge that they are failures, you seem unwilling to do this." Part of the problem is the lack of definition of "successful." When I answered Mary's question, I defined it as majority acceptance. The simple numerical majority in a society probably define anything they obtain from the treasury that the other 49% has to pay for a "successful" system. I think that the majority of people in those countries think it works well enough. Especially in places like Europe where it is now illegal to advertise drugs so that patients can't learn that there is a better way to treat them. Ignorance breeds satisfaction. If folks want to debate success, they'll have to agree on a definition. My impression is that Mary defines "successful" as "universal" and "equal." I wouldn't agree with that. I don't think you would, either. As we have discussed government bureaucracies don't administer equally. Favored parties receive better treatment than perceived enemies and the just plain folks. Politically connected persons ask their Congressman, Senator or other politically connected person to intervene on their behalf. Bureaucrats don't like to see thier budget cut because they didn't provide a sex change operation that should have been denied to a Senator's major donor's nephew. (It is a ridiculous example designed to highlight the problem of putting government in charge.) Based on every metric that seems reasonable our current system seems successful despite the warts. The idea tat everyone should be treated equally seems idealistic and noble to some people until they discover that means no more double lattees or Lexuses for them. If you want equality then you have to achieve it by reducing everyone's standard to near the least common denominator. Every attempt at Socialism has proven and reproven the point.