A short debate

A friend of mine recently posted this note on his Facebook page, under the title “I will happily help pay for your chemo. Please stop yelling.”:

I enjoy socialized roads, socialized police and fire protection, socialized food inspection, and many other benefits of living in a modern, first-world country. I'm not super-keen on a socialized military* or socialized trade agreements (or at least the scale and manner in which they are used), but I understand my some of my fellow citizens feel differently, and hey that's Ok in a democracy. I also think I'd enjoy having socialized medicine. My own direct benefits aside, I also benefit when my peers are healthier. It's a universal problem that would do well with a universal solution - like roads, police and fire, food inspection, defense, and trade negotiation.

Personally, I wish this was a healthcare reform bill - in fact, it is a health insurance reform bill, and like all bills in a democracy, a watered-down compromise. But it's a step in the right direction. I support more - I'd prefer a single-payer system - but I understand such radical changes require time.

And I totally respect your right to disagree. With reasoned arguments and a civil tone.

(*) The alternative to a socialized military - local strong men and militias - is far worse, most would agree. But we could scale back our national military by a factor of 10 and still have an effective force, at least for deterrence. Which is all I want a standing military for, anyway. Well, that and disaster response, I suppose.

Although I agree with Clint on a great many things, there are a few points on which our thoughts diverge.

For example, the idea of a single-payer health insurance system turns my stomach. Not to say that I am completely opposed to health insurance reform altogether; just in the manner in which the insurance is paid for.

Should health insurance be regulated? Yes, absolutely. Should the government have complete control over it? No. I understand that peace of mind, as well as peace of body, is paramount to every person alive. However, I have seen abuse of the single-payer system, e.g. welfare fraud. It sickens me to know that the money taken from my paycheck to pay into Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is being used by people who won’t (not can’t) get a job to buy their drugs of choice, be it illicit or proper. But I digress.

A single-payer system is not the ultimate solution to the problem of health insurance costs. Regulation, oversight, auditing, and constant review are what I see as necessary to true health insurance reform.

And by the way, the local strong men and militia usually join the police force. They get off on the power.

Okay, I’m stepping off the soap box now.