This is in reply to Matthew Christ's column, "Political gain halts health care reform."
"What took the greatest nation on Earth so long to finally make considerable progress in ensuring universal health care for its citizens? Why did Republicans and even moderate Democrats oppose the idea?"
First, let us put health care where it belongs. Health care is a service provided by a health professional that is then consumed by another person. To say that health care is a right basically says that the labor of another belongs to everyone just because they exist. Health care is correctly categorized as a need, along with housing and food, but by no means can be considered a right.
Also, considering we live in the United States of America, let us consider the Constitution, which restrains the federal government. Nowhere in the Constitution does it allow Congress to regulate health care. So health care is not a right, and the Federal Government has no authority to regulate it.
The legislation proposed would require that everyone (yes, everyone) buy a health care plan. In other words, the federal government would make you spend your hard-earned money, whether you want to or not. And if you don't comply, you will pay a hefty fine. It always amazes me that people continue to propose government as a solution to our problems. Government did such a great job managing our money (national debt), running Social Security (broke), and running Medicaid and Medicare, why wouldn't we want that same government to break into the health care industry and show the private sector what real efficiency is all about?
But seriously, there are some reforms needed in health care. For one, tort reform would be a great start in lowering health care costs.
Two, decoupling insurance from employment would allow individuals to decide what insurance provider they wanted and promote competition between firms.
Three, allowing health insurance companies to move across state lines will increase competition so that free markets and some good 'ole competition will drive down costs and at the same time increase the quality of service.
But what are those future people going to think about us "ancients" when they discover that we put individual freedom and the Constitution before increased government power? Let me leave you with this quote:
"The finest opportunity ever given to the world was thrown away because the passion for equality made vain the hope of freedom." - Lord Acton
Daniel Morris is a senior economics major.
