I'm begining to wonder about our current system of generosity. You know how we all contribute to a large 'pot' in case someone is down on thier luck and needs help. This pot is held by the Government, who basically hands out money to those who 'need' it. These people include those who recently lost thier job, who just can't seem to find a job, or who 'need' a medical procedure they cannot afford to pay for on thier own. We have all agreed to this system since we all know that trajedy can strike anyone at any time, and we would want 'fair' treatment were something to happen to us.
This system, as it is meant to be, is a beautiful thing which I fully support. However, there is one thing destroying it... GREED. A large number of people see this bottomless pot, and take whatever they can sneak from it. I mean why not... It's not like you're taking money from your neighbor's wallet... Or are you? YES! THE ANSWER IS YES!
It's hilarious that we think we have such a generous society, when the only reason why its not working is because our greed is causing us to steal from our neighbors. I'm actually wondering how this system came into being. Could it be that the brilliant, powerful people in the government thought to themselves 'what better way to get people to like us then to offer them something for nothing?' And of course us lowly folks ate it up! Not because we don't wanna see our brother down on his luck... Because we want something for nothing.
Are you proud of your system because Jane doesn't have to pay for her surgery, or because YOU wouldn't want to have to should you be in her position? In the long run we all lose (of course) when the market doesn't determine the services rendered, since, even in the ideal scenario, we're not only supporting the services, but also the system behind it all. And I'm OK with losing a little for the sake of 'humanity' and 'kindness', but I'm losing too much... And I'm not losing it to humanity/kindness... I'm losing it to GREED, and those who want something for nothing.
After all, If we were all such generous people, we wouldn't be standing in the medical line in the first place... We'd give up our spot to the person behind us.
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10 comments:
Nathan, you are a genuine radical.
You might be interested in the candidacy of Ron Paul, who is running for the nomination of the Republican Party. People say that he doesn't have a chance, because he's too extreme (that's the way people dismiss an argument, without actually engaging it).
Anyway, you make Ron Paul sound like a hippie.
I'm taking myself out of the line. I can't handle this any more.
Capitalist: I am sure that you are aware of the dangers of a purely capitalistic economy. It very quickly degenerates into monopoly and price jacking. The Robber Barons loved the system that allowed them such excesses. Surely you can't be suggesting pure capitalism as a viable system?
If I read Nate's post correctly, he was suggesting that we all pay a base rate, with fees for the services we access.
This is similar but not identical to what I'd like to see -- I would add a program that would fund medical care for people who really couldn't afford to pay (sort of like legal aid). That way, we wouldn't see people using the system just because it's free, but there would be no financial barrier to accessing care. For example, I think there should be a fee for seeing a GP: $25 sounds about right. Enough to make people think twice about whether they really need an appointment, but not so much that people won't be able to pay.
But of course, this will never happen.
This sounds like a smart system. Why couldn't it work?
Oh, I'm not suggesting any named system. I'm suggesting common sense as a system. Ok, we all file taxes. Hense the government knows how much $ we make. Couldn't they set prices based on that somehow? This would require a system to operate in the background... A system thate would also require funding ('waste'), but it'd be near impossible to match the waste of the current system.
Did you know that the Brittney link on your blog is broken?
Ah, Duh Torq.... I know EVERYTHING about Brittney.
PK, why are you clicking on Britney links, anyway?
Well come ON meg! These things are vitally important to my daily life!
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