The real goals of the welfare state

John Edwards is one of the leading presidential candidates running for the Democrats in America. He is considered your typical progressive, or left-wing social democrat, and he clearly articulates EXACTLY what is intended by expanding the government provision of public health services.

“I’m mandating healthcare for every man woman and child in America and that’s the only way to have real universal healthcare.”

“Evertime you go into contact with the healthcare system or the govenment you will be signed up.”

During a press avail following the event Edwards reiterated his mandate:

“Basically every time they come into contact with either the healthcare system or the government, whether it’s payment of taxes, school, going to the library, whatever it is they will be signed up.”

When asked by a reporter if an individual decided they didn’t want healthcare Edwards quickly responded, “You don’t get that choice.”

There you have it people. PLEASE STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT. Socialised medicine isn't about helping the poor, as much as it is about creating a one-size-fits-all system where the individual has no say or no vote in what kind of services they can receive.

Capitalism is nice and simple ... it doesn't have a feel-good vibe to it, and it sound somewhat selfish, but here it is nonetheless ... you vote with your dollars, and the competitive providers will crawl over each other to provide you what you need in exchange for them.

Having a socialised system means that your dollars will have no say, and you cannot vote or communicate with them. It means that health and education become massive bureaucracies that ration out limited amounts of services, and allow people to die whilst on waiting lists and children to receive a sub-standard education (and to add insult to injury, poor parents MUST send their children to a school, no matter how bad).

I've always said that I would love nothing more than to wave my magic wand and have an army of skilled teachers, nurses, policemen appear and provide minimum health and education services, especially to look after the poor and disadvantaged.

But nobody, no economy on the planet, no leader or super-computer, can allocate these resources at zero cost, with no trade-off.

That is economics in a nutshell.