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Originally Posted by Ronnie Jane Devo
On a related note, is there anyone who thinks it would be a good idea to abolish Medicare, Medicaid and all federal-level health programs in the US and let the States handle them individually? Our country seems unique among Western ones in having especially strong libertarian sentiments, and to try to brush over that sentiment by applying a blanket health care program across the whole country just seems really out of line with the purpose of our governmental structure and its ability to accommodate different facets of public opinion. Hawaii and Massachusetts already have their own state-wide universal health care programs I believe, and it seems logical enough to let the other liberal-leaning states follow suit.
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As someone who's been heavily involved with socialist organisations in Ireland for some time, with all the biases that brings, I'd like to point out that the libertarian model the US suscribes to is by no means a good way to run a country. By not intervening in society, the US has created a society with minimal social mobility, in which there is no genuine safety net for the least-well off in society, breeding a host of social problems such as violence, poverty, crime, drugs, and the ghettoisation of communities. This disaster also applies to healthcare, where libertarianism has only suceeded in bring economic chaos through bankrupting the general public by leaving them incapable of meeting the costs of a private industry which cares only about profit. If individual states had always been allowed to act as they see fit, the US would still have racial segregation(in a best case scenario), and persecute Native Americans. A strong central government is crucial to ensuring that the common man is not let down by his local adminstration and the will of those around him.