President Abraham Lincoln once remarked that government should do only what the People cannot do for themselves, or not so well. That has always seemed to me to be the most reasonable statement concerning the legitimate role of government. What the People cannot do for themselves certainly includes coining money, operating the national armed forces and intelligence services, providing for equal treatment of citizens, and myriad other functions.
As regards what the People cannot do so well, think Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid The programs maintained are enormous; and they have been well-managed until our Congress began to interfere with their operations, steal dedicated funds, and cut operational budgets. The practicality of central government management is obvious, and should be extended to our health care system and public education, as it is in every other developed Western nation.
How would that work? Well, our central government would then negotiate directly with hospitals, pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturers, and practitioners to get best possible prices for every service. Without a parasitic health insurance industry in the way, we the People would be ensured much lower costs, and the expense of coverage for all our citizens would be funded directly by federal taxation. Wouldn't you want to pay higher federal taxes, knowing that you would never again have to pay for medical and health-related expenses out-of-pocket? Wouldn't it be assuring to know that you could never face bankruptcy by trying to meet your own or family's health-care costs? Wouldn't it be morally satisfying to know that the working poor no longer have to choose between medicine and rent, or between medicine and food?
The same principle of central governmental efficiency could also be made to work for funding higher education. More and more Americans are being priced out of the market or else saddled with huge student loan debt. Socialized higher education would mean that parasitic lenders would be taken out of the equation, as our national government negotiated costs and began to fund public higher education. In addition, our country would benefit significantly by having a better educated work force that can be more competitive in the world. Wouldn't you pay higher taxes, knowing that America could again be the educational and economic leader of the world? Wouldn't it be nice to know that you don't have to live among uneducated people and the ensuing economic insecurity?
The time has come to invest in our people, in our quality of life, and in our future as a nation. The socialization of the medical care system and of public higher education can make that happen.
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