Posted by Meri-Tuuli on August 6, 2006, at 5:20:47 [reposted on August 8, 2006, at 10:06:58 | original URL]
In reply to Re: cost of drugs, posted by kylenn on August 5, 2006, at 16:54:05
Hello kylenn.
I don't really know what to say about your post. I'm sorry I seem to have hit a sore spot with you. We just have differing opinions I guess. I've just been bought up on European values, particulary Scandivian values (in fact I'm moving to Finland in September) which as you may or may not be aware of, have the best welfare states in the world. As such, it is very hard for me to comprehend how it is in America. I am geniunely shocked to find out that you have to pay so much for your meds, or that your healthcare is not free, or that you have to pay $30,000 in college tuition. These things cost next to nothing here in the UK, and in other European countries also.
For instance, it is actually against the law in Finland to charge any amount of money for education, including college - yes thats right, they have no fees for university in Finland including medicine and law, and that applies to foreign students studying there too. But then, we pay alot more tax. So when I hear about college tuition in the states costing, say, $30,000/year, I find it unbelieveable!
I still do think that healthcare is a basic human right and should be free (or at least affordable) to everyone, we'll have to disagree on that one.
Following on from that, you say that therefore food, sheltar, water etc should be free because they are basic human rights too. Well they are basic human rights, at least here in the UK.
Its illegal, for instance, for a water company to cut off a persons water supply, even if they haven't paid their bills. For that matter, I pay about $10/month for water/sewage. We have systems in place here which will guarantee that your rent will be paid, if, for example, you lose your job/are ill/etc. Supermarket food is not so expensive here. It costs maybe $1 for a loaf of bread. If people have problems paying private rent, we have social housing here.
I really don't mind paying tax to support these things because I know that they are there if I ever need them. I don't think we should be so naive to suppose that we will always have a good job, we will always have a roof over our heads. Sometimes really unfortuate things can happen to us through no fault of our own.
I also think its a question of equalness, of trying to, at least, level the playing field for everyone. You give me the impression that all you need to do to succeed in life is to work hard. Okay fair enough. But that doesn't take into account intrinstic factors that are beyond our control. Say, for instance, you are not very bright, pretty low IQ actually. Thats not your fault surely? So you can work your *ss off, say cleaning streets or whatever. You could be doing the very best you can, and still earn pittance.
But its not your fault - so then, who will pay for your expensive healthcare when you get ill? You're obviously earning pittance (you don't have a national minimum wage do you? Here in the UK its set to around $9/hour), so you can't save for unforeseeable things in the future like illness, diasters, or even things like college. But yet, you're working your *ss off, you're providing a valuable service to the community in cleaning the steets. Is that fair then, that you get penalised?
Is it fair that you, kylenn, get penalised with medication costs beyond your means, because you suffer from a condition that is no fault of your own?? Things like free healthcare are about protecting the most vunerable people in society. Its not about the well-off paying taxes. Its about the much less fortunate. Leveling the playing field, so that you have access to the same basic services as the rich.
Do you kinda get what I mean? I don't want to quibble over the finer points of my post. We have totally differing perspectives. I mean, I've grown up not knowing anything different, I've always assumed healthcare and things like that to be free and to have a pretty good welfare state in place. I get the feeling that you don't think its the job of the state to support disadvantaged people, but thats how it is here in the UK/Finland (the two European countries I know they most). I'm not entirely clear on who you think will support disadvantaged people.
We'll just have to agree to disagree, no hard feeling, eh.
Kind regards
Meri
poster:Meri-Tuuli
thread:674781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060610/msgs/674793.html