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re: Inefficient is a word often associated with national health care programs
azstrummer — (archived)

That's why I brought up the personal responsibility issue of any successful program. Certainly you can't force preventative measures on people directly but you can make it a condition for further treatment if their own preventable actions are the root cause of their ailment.

I have compassion for my fellow man but I'm also a firm believer in tough love. I've seen it work in my own children. When my oldest son becomes lazy and starts expecting that the world revolves around him I remind him, at first gently and later with some real threat to it, that his living under our roof and our financial support for his college education is completely up to us. At any time, once he reaches the age of consent, he could be out the door and on his own if he doesn't show good ethics and a sign of family responsibility. It would break your heart but it is an essential part of them growing up and becoming independent.

That same concept has to be applied to society as a whole. There needs to be a sense of giving and responsibility but it's a two-way street and there is a line that can be crossed by the "victim" where the compassion stops without a marked change in their behavior.

I have real trepidation about giving the federal government so huge a responsibility such as universal health care but something different has to be done and all other options have been tried. Would you simply want more of the same?

Art

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