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#1
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The emptiness of libertarianism
Wolf Blitzer had a good exchange with Ron Paul during the recent debate. Blitzer asked what should happen when someone chooses to not get health insurance, then has something bad happen and falls into a coma. Paul, IMHO, gave a non-answer. When asked whether that person should just be permitted to die, Paul said, among other things:
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People like Ron Paul and Paul Ryan would "fix" the looming Medicare/Medicaid problem by simply cutting off benefits. To me, and I hope to a majority of voters, that approach is unacceptable. Policy makers should focus on ways to reduce medical costs, not just tell people to do without. For example, if more people had health insurance, more people would take care of themselves, and fewer people would use emergency rooms for their primary care needs. Paul is just wrong when he says that "...the cost is so high because they dump it on the government, it becomes a bureaucracy..." That's a cop out. Libertarianism has surface appeal, but it just doesn't work. When applied to the health care issue, libertarians would have people die for lack of medical care. They won't admit it. They will try to dance around the issue, but they have no way out. That's what their governing philosophy means. Last edited by Honus; 09-15-2011 at 11:01 AM. |
#2
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What does it mean for a church to take care of someone in a coma? Is he suggesting that churches pay the medical costs? What local church can afford even a few months of hospital care even for a single member? Maybe it made sense when hospitals were run by churches but it certainly doesn't make sense when medicine has transmuted into another capitalist business. What models are there out there which provide medical care to most or all of the population that are not versions of socialized medicine in one form or another?
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1977 300d 70k--sold 08 1985 300TD 185k+ 1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03 1985 409d 65k--sold 06 1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car 1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11 1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper 1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4 1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13 |
#3
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People should do what they have always done: Die.
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#4
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Who will be in charge of removing the bodies from the streets?
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#5
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Bacteria.
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#6
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Around here, the highway department picks up the carcasses of deer that get hit by cars, but they get a healthy assist from the vultures. On some of the less traveled dirt roads, the vultures and bacteria pretty much take care of the whole job.
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#7
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My father-in-law asked that when he dies we just hook him up to his tractor and drag his carcass into the woods at the far end of the pasture. He was only partly kidding. It's probably illegal but I'd sure like to bury him on his farm. He'd like that.
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#8
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So much fail... Costs for hospital and medical services would be much lower without government involvement, as they once were.
Ron Paul never said just cut it off. People have become dependent, so it needs to be phased out. Etc, etc. It's a weak attack, and pathetic, quite frankly. As if society has never operated without a nanny state. |
#9
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I'll bet it's legal to do that. The local health department might have restrictions on where you can bury someone. The tough part might be getting whoever attends the death to release the body to the family. I would call the local health department. He might also want to get a pre-paid plan through a funeral home. They would know how to make the arrangements.
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#10
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Quote:
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#11
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Wasn't it Sharon Angle who suggested we barter chickens for healthcare? Another great libertarian thinker.
A lot of Paul's positions appeal to me on an emotional level but his rosy view of human nature is as naive as that of hard line socialists. Great on paper but in reality not so much.
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You're a daisy if you do. __________________________________ 84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold 04 Honda Element AWD 1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler 1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4 1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting |
#12
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Hah! Humans by nature can't be trusted, so let's give them monopoly power of force and theft and cart blanche to do whatever they want. Oh, but only the worst ones, who seek such power.
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#13
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Good point, although I don't know what the alternative is.
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#14
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... Give yourself a fighting chance?
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#15
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Bring out yer dead!
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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15 '06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod) |
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