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There were some discussions on #joiito regarding capitalism and socialism among other things, which got me thinking again.On my page it says that I am "more socialistic than capitalistic, hoping that capitalism is a means to modern socialism and that we will become strong enough to find a meaning without resorting to religion."
What I mean by that, is that I believe in capitalism's ability to get things done, efficiently. I also believe that people should have at least two levels in their basic needs covered, as seen in Maslow's pyramid:
http://tinyurl.com/6ujce
in Norway we have a good thing going, with a public health service that's funded by the taxes people pay. So, anyone can get health care. One thing I often see in the media though, is that there are long waiting lines for operations and other things.
If you've seen movies like The Corporation and Sicko, you know that (at least in the US), corporations tend to behave like psychopaths, only focusing on profits. That for example health insurance companies use dirty tricks to stop people from getting the care they're actually paying for. When it comes to health, this is a very bad thing.. I know from personal experience that it can be hard even asking for help if you have a medical problem, even if the treatment is (close to) free. The insurance companies say that "the system works" whenever they have lost all their appeals and the person finally gets their treatment (paid for), but my guess is that a lot of people suffer and/or die because they don't have the "juice" to fight health problems and a company at the same time.
So, in the case of health insurance and health care, I believe that health care should be universal, and funded by the taxes people pay. I do however believe that health service providers could and should be private. But then we need a system that rewards and penalizes (in monetary terms) these health providers based on the service they provide to their patients. It IS OK to make a profit, if you're smart, hardworking and/or creative. In itself, I think giving health care is a very rewarding job (I have a huge respect for doctors for example), but it is always extra motivating if you can make some extra money which you can use on a fancy vacations, new gadgets and so on.
And that's the good thing about capitalism.. it promotes competition and gives an incentive to do things better, which ultimately benefits us all.
[Permalink] [By morphex] [Politics (and judicial matters) (Atom feed)] [14 Oct 05:21 Europe/Oslo]