Comments on: Sam Solomon: The death of convergence theory http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/11/sam-solomon-death-of-convergence-theory.html Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:05:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/11/sam-solomon-death-of-convergence-theory.html#comment-87907 Anonymous Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:22:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/11/sam-solomon-the-death-of-convergence-theory.html#comment-87907 Convergence theory is wrong for the same reason that the neo-cons were wrong about exporting democracy to the middle east. People are not all alike, culture matters and what works for one people doesn't work for another. As noted in Edmund Burke's famous letter the the French National Assembly, people are not all equally suited for liberty. Likewise people and cultures are not all equally suited for socialism. As the founded fathers noted, a people must form the a system for themselves that they think best suits their condition. Canada is more homogenous. Canada also has a relief valve to address the failings of it's system--90% of Canadians live within 30 miles of the US where they can escape the tyranny of prohibition on self-funded care at will, making it very porous. The US is more diverse regionally, politically, socially, ethnically, and economically. It is harder to feel a shared fate with this much diversity. We also value freedom more and trust government less. <br/><br/>The radically intolerant collectivist psyche of Beach Bum seems incapable of understanding this. Tolerance means being willing to accept that people don't share your values, and that doesn't necessarily make them bad. Tolerance also means living your life in such a way as to not take away from or obstructing people who want to live in service to different values. Someone who strongly values work-ethic and self-sufficiency may find it morally offensive to be forced to subsidize the health care of a beach bum equally capable of producing sufficient wealth to provide for himself but who choses to value pleasure over work. Besides in a free nation like the US, the beach bums are all free to form a special beach bum social assistance organisation to join together to help each other--they just aren't free to force those who don't share their collectivist values to carry them. Convergence theory is wrong for the same reason that the neo-cons were wrong about exporting democracy to the middle east. People are not all alike, culture matters and what works for one people doesn’t work for another. As noted in Edmund Burke’s famous letter the the French National Assembly, people are not all equally suited for liberty. Likewise people and cultures are not all equally suited for socialism. As the founded fathers noted, a people must form the a system for themselves that they think best suits their condition. Canada is more homogenous. Canada also has a relief valve to address the failings of it’s system–90% of Canadians live within 30 miles of the US where they can escape the tyranny of prohibition on self-funded care at will, making it very porous. The US is more diverse regionally, politically, socially, ethnically, and economically. It is harder to feel a shared fate with this much diversity. We also value freedom more and trust government less.

The radically intolerant collectivist psyche of Beach Bum seems incapable of understanding this. Tolerance means being willing to accept that people don’t share your values, and that doesn’t necessarily make them bad. Tolerance also means living your life in such a way as to not take away from or obstructing people who want to live in service to different values. Someone who strongly values work-ethic and self-sufficiency may find it morally offensive to be forced to subsidize the health care of a beach bum equally capable of producing sufficient wealth to provide for himself but who choses to value pleasure over work. Besides in a free nation like the US, the beach bums are all free to form a special beach bum social assistance organisation to join together to help each other–they just aren’t free to force those who don’t share their collectivist values to carry them.

]]> By: Beach Bumhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/11/sam-solomon-death-of-convergence-theory.html#comment-87901 Beach Bum Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:27:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/11/sam-solomon-the-death-of-convergence-theory.html#comment-87901 Lee, while I agree with you that there are problems in the Canadian health care system for which there are no easy answers, the millions of Americans who are uninsured or underinsured might disagree with you. The Canadian health care system was designed with the idea that the larger community should join together to care for one another, a value held by the vast majority of Canadians. It is always fascinating to me that the radically self-centred American psyche seems incapable of understanding this. <br/><br/>"ask not what my country can do for me..." Lee, while I agree with you that there are problems in the Canadian health care system for which there are no easy answers, the millions of Americans who are uninsured or underinsured might disagree with you. The Canadian health care system was designed with the idea that the larger community should join together to care for one another, a value held by the vast majority of Canadians. It is always fascinating to me that the radically self-centred American psyche seems incapable of understanding this.

“ask not what my country can do for me…”

]]> By: Leehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/11/sam-solomon-death-of-convergence-theory.html#comment-87898 Lee Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:26:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/11/sam-solomon-the-death-of-convergence-theory.html#comment-87898 The Canadians can keep their health care model. We have problems of our own, but I have yet to hear why we want a health care system that:<br/>- Makes private health care plans illegal<br/>- Makes paying cash for health care illegal<br/>- Makes waiting for simple tests (Eg: MRI) 12-18 months or more<br/>- Seeing a specialist nearly impossible<br/>- Unable to take some medication because a bureaucrat deems it "too expensive" or "unnecessary".<br/><br/>And that's just the surface of their problems. <br/><br/>I'm glad the Canadian system causes such revulsion in so many Americans. It should. The Canadians can keep their health care model. We have problems of our own, but I have yet to hear why we want a health care system that:
- Makes private health care plans illegal
- Makes paying cash for health care illegal
- Makes waiting for simple tests (Eg: MRI) 12-18 months or more
- Seeing a specialist nearly impossible
- Unable to take some medication because a bureaucrat deems it “too expensive” or “unnecessary”.

And that’s just the surface of their problems.

I’m glad the Canadian system causes such revulsion in so many Americans. It should.

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