Posted by
Rob Stevenson on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 12:00:40 AM
Distribution of Power and Resources
1) Federal governments excel in some areas where local governments do not and warfighting, dictating foreign policy, and
regulating interstate commerce are among the issues occupying this category. Some problems, however,
are best left to local authorities or the private sector. These include
education, enforcing penal codes and civil codes, trash collecting, etc.
Unfortunately, not all issues are easily sorted into federal, local and private areas of expertise. One of the trickier issues is health care. Certainly it is not
beneficial for the federal branches to be involved in day to day
oversight of doctors offices. Yet, when staring down the barrel of
Avian Flu, we may find it in our hearts, and in the interstate commerce
clause, to let big brother help us effectively transport and distribute medical supplies. Before embracing this idea wholly, we must ask if Canadian-style socialized medicine is best.
2) If rapid transportation and distribution are the assets of social health care, than what are it's liabilities?
The environment most conducive to productivity will allow maximum freedom without
sacrificing safety and security. I am a firm
believer in free men working in free markets with minimally invasive
laws enforcing ethics and safety that bolster liberty, rather than detract from
it.
Socialized health care would rid the industry of competition, effectively weakening the product and taking away the
basic check and balance that the capitalist open market provides. This
means longer lines, higher prices, worse service, and more people dead
or suffering from disease. In short, we become France. (If visiting
France, do yourself a favor and don't get hurt.) The inevitable increase in death and disease would present a scourge on the entire nation far greater even than the financial burden that would destroy our economy with little gained.