After much analysis, the bottom-line:
As stated in the preceding blockquote, Conservatives in the US do not believe that Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights are really rights. Liberals believe that they are obviously rights, and that Conservatives are just mean and obstructionist.This is why health care debate goes nowhere – Liberals are honestly trying to meet human rights standards that, by conservative standards, have no philosophical foundation. If Libs really want to promote health care legislation, they need to address the philosophical objections of Conservatives. And if Conservatives want to avoid universal health care, they need to come up with viable alternatives that address the Liberal human rights shortfall.
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{ 11 comments }
That’s really well said, and I think it’s something that most people genuinely don’t think about a lot, even though it has to be the beginning of any meaningful debate.
I, for one, will never believe that anyone ever has a right to anyone else’s labor, period. Perhaps that makes me heartless, but advocating forced labor is far worse in my eyes.
“I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.”
Is there anything Ayn Rand’s wisdom can’t solve?
Philosophically,there is no such thing as private property and the resources of Mother Earth are there for all to use for their survival. They do not belong to anyone in particular. However,this is not the reality we all know.
As the Bible says “The love of money is the root of all evil”. This is why freedom is slavery, health is disease and war is peace (as George Orwell put it). As long as the economic system values money and profit before the needs of people,things will only gets worse (like that poor girl in China having 34 X-rays for the sake of profit).
Ayn Rand never considered the plight of the orphaned, disabled and destitute through no fault of their own. In her society, they don’t exist.
“Ayn Rand never considered the plight of the orphaned, disabled and destitute through no fault of their own. In her society, they don’t exist.”
What about homeless drunks who walk into ER’s every day and say they are having chest pain, and when you tell them you don’t buy it they say: “OK, then I’m suicidal”, and finally promise to leave only if you’ll buy them a turkey sandwich or give them Five Dollars? WHere does that fit into Ayn Rand’s scheme?
I think those folks would get an wswift I-beam to the head and then they WOULD need the ER.
Conservatives are morally bankrupt while at the same time moralistic and self-righteous.
Their philosophical goal is to defend _inequality_ by _any_ means: suitable religious texts, various economic theories, even scientific theories such as evolution are made use of when helpful in defending their cause.
All of it is a diversion from the highest goal which is the imperative to alleviate suffering. This goal interferes with trivial freedoms such as the freedom to drive a Hummer instead of a Honda. The conservative wack-jobs will (of course) scream and holler.
I’d like a conservative to tell me how and why it is OK to allow a child to die for lack of appropriate health care. God’s will?
“I’d like a conservative to tell me how and why it is OK to allow a child to die for lack of appropriate health care. God’s will?”
A typical liberal smokesceen scare tactic comment. No one is talking about letting children die. As someone does pediatric critical care no resource is spared trying to save a childs life. Someone has to be realistic though. Liberals have a hard time doing that. If we had the technology, but it would require a billion, or say a trillion dollars to save one premature kids life — where do you draw the line? Do you spen the millions and billons to save the one life at the expense of the entire system? or the cost to immunizize an entire 3rd world country?
Stop waxing philosophical – start finding ways to enjoy taking care of both the sick and the imagined sick – and treat paupers like princes. Maybe if you play medical detective-instead of throwing them out-you’ll actually find something wrong with them.
You can balance out spending a little time with a derelict against the profit your hospital just made doing three views on a chest x-ray for the insured guy with the common cold.
Some hand holding may actually help someone out.
Its hard to imagine some of these Doc’s are actually physicians. All they care about is money! They categorize healthcare the same as buying a new table and chairs. What is wrong with you people?
To pay for free health care, you’ll probably have to: 1) delay coverage, or cut it entirely (especially for end-of-life care and for immigrants), 2) cut the wages of health care workers. Good luck!
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