Originally Posted by
alan
I read somewhere that the cost of medical care for US citizens equals over $7000 per person, per year. If the government is to cover that cost through taxation, could we maintain a progressive tax structure, or would we need to revert to a severely regressive system, or, would we just redistribute someone else's earnings and wealth?
Speaking from a center right position, I'd say that it's not as simple as saying that we're not willing to help others, after all, we're the most generous political demographic in the country. It's actually that we believe in providing an environment of equal opportunity for all rather than equal outcome. It's sort of an offshoot of the tried and true "Give a man a fish....teach a man to fish..." philosophy, or the parental concept of tough love.
We provide social programs to ensure that everyone has medical care. The only problem that I can see is that the minority of people without private medical insurance will have difficulty getting the government to pay for their care until they've exhausted their own assets. I'll agree that's unfortunate. Is the divide really that deep?