I've been following Barak Obama's argument for affordable health care and I agree, access to essential social services is a basic human right and provision of these services is the responsibility of government, not private enterprise.
Of course commercial interests within the U.S. healthcare industry strongly disagree, but then health care is big business for them.
We can see the seeds of Obama's argument mirrored in our own recent history. Less than a generation ago all NZ's social services (including free healthcare) and our nations infrastructure (roading, power, transport, communications etc) were publicly owned. These enterprises didn't make a profit but they weren't meant to. They were run by government, supported by our taxes and their purpose was to offer affordable social services to all, and to ensure near full employment.
Then overnight it seemed, most of these activities of government were privatized. Sold off to big offshore companies who promised us greater efficiency and higher profits. However we failed to see that greater efficiency would be brought about by cutting jobs and higher profits through increased consumer costs.
To use John F Kennedy's words, "the fruits of our victory turned to ashes in our mouths".
Surely the bigger question Obama's argument raises though, concerns the responsibility of government: is it to the tax payer or to big business and CEO bonuses?
Maybe Obama is trying push back the hands of time, but isn't it time somebody did?
A letter to my unanswered question
7 years ago
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