Universal Health Care

The liberal in me says it's our moral imperative to take care of our own people. We have the ability and the resources - it's something we should do for ourselves and our posterity - promoting the general welfare.

The realist will quickly discard almost any of that fanciful crap that comes out of that part of my brain, though. Human nature is going to muck that one up - sometimes taking care of people is actually doing them more harm than good. Part of me really hears the Republican argument that says letting people struggle a bit can be the best thing for them - like the butterfly trying to escape the cocoon. That's open to debate - even internally for me.

But as a fiscally conservative Democrat - Universal Health Care just makes sense. If you look at the absurd amounts of money that are being paid by our corporations just for health care - there's no way we can compete globally. Regardless of where you stand on Free Trade (I'm pro-free trade - as long as it's managed to be fair, which it hasn't been under W.), we are competing in a global economy. Other countries are paying for the health care, still others just don't care and do nothing (but neither does the company). If we want to compete globally and still maintain our way of life, UHC is the only practical way to go. We can create a system that still maintains our high quality of care and still maintains free-market competitiveness. The current system as it is "designed" avoids free-market competitiveness.

Barack's approach makes it optional. He argues that if it's affordable every one will get it anyways. He avoids the reality that the uninsured are sticking the rest of us with their bills - even if it is not what they intend to do.

In Michigan, like many states, we have a mandate for auto insurance. If you want to have a car drivable on public roads, you must have insurance. It can be basic - limited to "PL/PD" (IIRC, personal liability/personal damage) or you can go full comprehensive, but you at least need to take care of the basics. If you don't pay for it and drive, you will get ticketed and possibly arrested (if you do it repeatedly). The insured drivers actually end up paying for the uninsured idiots who damage their vehicles, property, or persons.

The same would be true in an Universal Health Care system. If there is no mandate, the uninsured will still end up in the emergency room and the "system" will get stuck with the bill.

The difference here is that it's not the "privilege" of driving on the roads (in Michigan it's not a privilege - it's a God-Given Right) - it's the privilege of living. The enforceable mandate basically amounts to "if you want to live in this country, you have to pay the health care tax". Part of me is repulsed by that, but in the end - it's for the greater good. Including yours.

In the end, the only things that are certain in life are death and taxes...