[lit-ideas] Re: From today's paper
- From: "Simon Ward" <sedward@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 23:48:34 -0000
Simon: And on balance do such systems do more harm than good?
Eric: We can only try to evaluate the systems that fall inside our direct
experience. Even within that narrow group, it's difficult, if not
impossible, to assess their ultimate good.
Which is some leap from the initial statement condemning: "social systems
that impede human energy, destroy incentive, damage the human spirit, and
create opportunities for criminals to exploit them for personal gain."
Still, perhaps it might be better to define 'system' than defend an
over-reaching statement because I can't think anyone would defend a system
that does everything that Eric describes. The Stark Laws that Eric cites
seem to me to be a tightly defined amendment to existing laws cocnerned with
the provision of Medicare. I can't imagine that Stark set out to create an
evil loophole and I can't imagine that he did so because in some way he
would benefit himself. If it works as Eric describes, it's simply a bad
piece of legislation that should be repealed or amended. If, on the other
hand, there are a only a few instances where people have been cheating the
system and for the remainder of its use it actually does some good in
society, then those few instances are a fair price to pay.
There's a similar argument against the NHS over here. Because, it is said,
illegal immigrants use the NHS without paying for it through national
insurance contribution, it therefore follows that socilaised healthcare is a
bad thing. Yet that doesn't address at all the fact that the NHS saves lives
and is free at the point of delivery for the vast majority that do pay their
national insurance. Is the NHS worth keeping even if a small minority abuse
it? On balance I think it is.
Simon
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