|
Top-level
 @Smalltofeds Every other rich country (and most middle-income countries) managed to achieve universal healthcare through incrementalism rather than revolution, and found it entirely compatible with capitalism — after all, universal healthcare saves employers bundles of money compared to paying for expensive private health insurance in the U.S. In the U.S. unfortunately, the bureaucracy behind private health insurance became a major industry in its own right, so it's hard to displace. 3 comments
The Military Industrial Complex is driven by many of the similar factors you have noted. As Eisenhower put it, "The problem with @Smalltofeds Fully agreed, and I think it's telling that it's the former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Western Europe who coined the phrase. American business profited massively from the Second World War, and was unable to wean itself off the government spending afterwards. They may talk capitalism, but is really a very toxic variant of socialism (since arms makers rely primarily on government funding rather than the free market). |
Gregory's Server
@Smalltofeds Capitalists should also love universal healthcare because it promotes entrepreneurship.
When I decided to quit my job and try my hand at a consulting business in 1998, I had zero concerns about health coverage for my young family because of Canadian medicare.
And students in Canada aren't afraid to graduate from university and lose their health insurance, because they're still covered when they step outside the academy into the working or business world.
@selzero