People keep grilling me saying the free market doesn’t work and only socialism does and it’s making me sick. I prefer this stuff be handled by the free market.
Anyone got any good books covering the welfare healthcare system vs. free market healthcare or other approaches? Even a book covering the history of dental coverage for people in different countries at different times would be great. From the little data I’ve come across, the nationalization of dentistry in England has led to horrible results in the past 25 or so years, but I can only find some articles here and there.
Things with statistics and case studies would be great. A bit of theory and some empirical evidence to back it up. There doesn’t seem to be many books on the topic in the limelight these days.
Thanks.
P.S. …or am I the last sane person in the wolrd who takes this stance on it?
**wiki “**Socialism refers to various theories of economic organization advocating public or direct worker ownership and administration of the means of production and allocation of resources, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with a method of compensation based on the amount of labor expended”
So, if you wanted socialism you could get a group together, cede your private property to some central planner, and have your socialist society. You do not need to coerce anyone. Socialism does not require that every human being participate. Obviously Amish societies are a good example of how non-capitalist societies can be formed peacefully. What kind of barriers are there to a similar approach in medical care?
It is tempting to run the calculation argument against socialists, but I don’t recommend it. They will argue with you, citing people’s need to eat and equal human worth etc. You can make the counter arguments but all you’ll do is establish that it is a bad idea, implying that if it were somehow a good idea, then it would be okay for everyone to be forced to be socialist. Do not leave this door open.
So ask them: Why can’t they be peaceful socialists? Why can’t they get a group together to pool their labor and resources under a central planner right now? What is stopping all the democrats from having their health care? There is no reason that they can’t simply cooperate outside of government and get an organization set up to centrally plan for the democrats.
They’ll just have to pay for it (collectively), and people will be able to bail when it messes up. Sounds much better than making all Americans pay for a healthcare plan they don’t want, that they’ll be stuck with forever and ever when it screws up.
The only possible counter that could be made is that rich people won’t join so the whole thing wouldn’t be able to fund itself as well. True; obviously you can have more money if you take it from someone else. But money has little meaning within a socialist state [;)] The central planner commands goods and services to be produced for everyone. No one gets paid. I guess you’d have a hard time attracting profit seeking doctors huh… well just train some new ones [:D] Its socialism! Anything is possible!!
Makes you wonder exactly what they were celebrating in Germany about some stupid wall just a few days ago. In fact, I know some people from the former Soviet Union and they are all for socialized health care. Apparently they are against communism but not socialism. It’s time libertarians wake up and realize that the young people with the hammers tearing down that wall 20 years ago were ALL anti-capitalists never seeking to abolish socialism, but to simply introduce Democracy.
