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Socialism, Free Markets, Buzz Words, and the Power of Language
By Paul | October 13, 2009
I have friends and family who are freaking out over the health care initiatives moving through congress and which our President supports. The most interesting part of the dialogue is the fear and horror at the thought that these are socialist and they have even succeeded in demonizing the term socialist to the point, that, much as they have tried to do with the word liberal, they have made it a pejorative.
In fact it is a very neutral term, simply describing a type of economic system that has strengths and weaknesses, just like free-market capitalism. The curious thing to me is that overriding presumption in their discussions is that we have a monolithic system, that is purely one or the other with no similarities or cross over. The fact is, here in America, we have had a hybrid economic system for many years. We are, and always will be, regardless of the naysayers, a free-market capitalist system and we will always reward the entrepreneurs, inventors, and industry leaders who lay it out there on the line to build businesses that employ others and make us the great country we are. It is precisely that part of our countries makeup that allows us to be the only country that can build and market the Boeing 747, a Nimitz Class carrier, a world-class respected, and feared if you are a bad guy, military force. No other country can respond instantly to any situation in the world, whether it is humanitarian aid or military intervention. We are the worlds best hope, we have been for many years and we will be for many years to come and we rightfully owe that to free-market capitalism.
The flip side to that however is we understand right from wrong and we do not begrudge capitalists from making money and lots of it but inherently we see a problem when the CEO of a given organization can ruin the company with reckless decisions, that are universally acknowledged as bad, and is rewarded while thousands of employees, and customers have there retirement disappear along with the ability to support their families and build a future for their kids. Certainly our economic system can keep the playing field fair, ensuring that everyone shares the risks and the rewards, at least in part.
The right to be a capitalist does not come with a license to do anything you want in the business sector. There are rules in avery facet of life and ensuring those rules are followed and everyone is treated “fairly” is not redistributing money. No one is proposing taking money that the business owner has earned in the course of running his business and shipping it off to someone who society just feels deserves it.
Now then healthcare, an interesting conundrum. First of all we are told that free market capitalism always bring the best results and in general that has been proven true. Companies compete for customers, they win those customers by providing the best product and the best price point. By finding that sweet spot between cost and quality, they find the way to be profitable and if they are successful they dominate their part of the business world. Of course that conversation can get even more complex but as it relates to healthcare, let’s keep it simple. Based on the comments from some of my associates, wouldn’t we expect American healthcare to be the best because it is bred in a free-market, capitalist environment, and yet, by some metrics, it’s not. While our healthcare is the best in terms of capability, I mean, where else do you want major surgery performed, it is not the best from the perspective of outcomes and cost.
The vast majority of us advocating for a public healthcare system are not socialists. We know that those who work hard, take risks, show leadership, and lead a business should enjoy the fruits of those efforts and none of us think that if you are wealthy the government should come in and take your money so the guy up the road who doesn’t work hard can enjoy the life style you have earned. If you want a boat, or a nice car, or a bigger house, or any terrific nice thing available here in America, get off your ass and work for it. On that I agree with my friends completely. But should healthcare be apportioned that same way? Should anyone in America, the richest, best country in the world, want for basic healthcare. I say no. It is not redistributing wealth so someone can get a new luxury item, healthcare is not a luxury item and people should not have to think twice before tending to their families health.
Furthermore, healthcare is important to the common good of our country. We don’t think twice about contributing to the funding of our defense, and no one has a choice, even though there are those amongst us, pacifists for example, who would prefer their tax dollars did not support the military. As a society we make a decision to support certain initiatives and sometimes we pay for things that, on a personal level, we may not support.
Make no mistake, we are not socialists and repeating it over and over will not make it so, anymore than claiming free-market capitalism is always the best solution makes that a true statement. Usually the best, most definitely, but every now and then, it isn’t and in this case, the richest, most powerful nation can stand up and say, “let’s make sure every single citizen has minimal healthccare, let’s make sure, as much as possible, that preventable illnesses is prevented, regardless of wealth.”
If you buy a boat and can’t pay, you are going to be in trouble but if a family member needs expensive health care, we will share that burden. It’s what good people do, it’s what Americans do, We are more than capable of taking care of each other without sliding into socialism. We have already proven we can be a hybrid economy. We are a free-market capitalist society, that permits certain functions to be funded with public funding because that is what is good for our country and for our fellow Americans.
Topics: Cleveland, Ohio, Political, social healthcare | No Comments »
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