There’s no shortage of people out there who say that Healthcare is a right. Have you ever asked those who believe it is right to either define a right or explain how healthcare is a right? I have never heard a good explanation and typically the answer is “because I think everyone should have the same healthcare regardless of how much money they have”. I usually then ask what of our other rights cost money and that question is typically ignored and I’m told I am greedy or I hate poor people…Rights do not cost money.
Tonight on the Bill Cunningham show I heard him make a great point I’d like to share. These people say healthcare is a right so government must provide it to everyone and everyone must pay for it. Why doesn’t that work with any other rights? We have a freedom of religion, yet there is no push for the government to build you a church. In fact, the exact opposite is true. We have a freedom of speech, yet the government is building me a podium or giving me a national audience. We have freedom to assemble, but the government is not going to help me out in forming my groups. So why then are they expected to pay for healthcare, assuming it is a right?
I once asked a friend who tells me healthcare is a right if all people have the same rights. Of course he agreed that all people have the same rights. So then I asked why people born 200 years ago did not have the same rights as we do since they didn’t have close to the same medical advances we have now. I could sense he felt he was not winning this debate, but he wasn’t going to give up that easily. He countered by saying, “I think all people are entitled to the best possible medical care available at that time.” Wow, that sounds so noble, I still don’t know who is going to pay for it, so I asked, “What if a cure for lung cancer is discovered in Australia. Should the US government pay for everyone with lung cancer to fly to Australia for the treatment? It is available and the clock is ticking on the cancer.
God Bless Freedom, Liberty, and Personal Property,
Slappy Jones II
I think I should have a right to free medical marijuana. And honestly I would really like the government to pay for that. They seem willing to pay for nearly every other drug at least.
And free cable tv. Not just the cheap package, I want the movie channels.
But rights do cost money….
The government does pay for the right to freedom of speech. It pays for a legal system made up of courts and public defendants capable of protecting this right.
The freedom to assemble also costs money. Police forces have oversight departments that help prevent abuse during public demonstrations. Similarly, you need public spaces to assemble in. these are usually parks or city squares, all of which are paid for by the government.
And while the government does’t (yet) offer universal health care, we expect it to respond properly in the event of a plague, or a bioterrorist attack, no?
And finally, no one is really asking for all healthcare to be a right, but basic health care. There is a difference between guaranteeing free medical marijuana for all, and treating heart attacks. The reason why basic health care should be a right, is to prevent absurd situations where people are dying, where relatively cheap procedures could have saved them.
We may call rights “inherent”, but in the end this is only a concept. To enforce rights and make them a reality, you need government spending.
Best,
– Emil
How do you define a right? Do all humans have the same rights?
A right is what a society decides to be something naturally belonging to every individual at the moment they are born. It can also extend those rights to all citizens of the world, but would need to enforce it, which is difficult. For example all people have a right to be live, which is why murders are punished.
I would say yes, all humans have the same rights. That is the type of world I would like to live in. However i don’t believe this type of world is possible in a libertarian society. Rights would eventually diminish as police services, health services, public space would all become privatized.
That’s good you think all humans have the same rights, I agree with you. I also think you should read some more libertarian literature (including our blog!). I’d say that most libertarians, and when I say libertarians I do not mean the political party but people in favor of liberty, would say that the rights based argument for libertarianism is the number 1 reason why they’re libertarian.
I checked out your blog, I’ll continue to read it. While I’m sure we could find plenty to disagree on, you seem well-intentioned and sincere. Just please don’t completely turn your mind off to libertarianism and if you disagree, please disagree on our arguments.