It has recently come to my attention (mostly via McCain and Giuliani) that there are certain ideologies which are used in their rhetoric that are most probably not in the best interest of the majority of US citizens (it can be argued that better social conditions would reduce violence, thus making their rhetoric not in the best interest of anyone). My primary concern lies with McCain’s and Giuliani’s view of universal health care and the redistribution of wealth.
What is so fundamentally wrong with an efficient, competitive, and cutting-edge health care system for all Americans to use when in need? Having that type of system does not mean running a massive deficit as long as finances are accorded responsibility, banning private clinics is not necessary (Canada has both private and public health), and most importantly for all, the citizens of the US have guaranteed health care, no one gets a policy turned down. That is a clear improvement for a standard of living.
Universal education is present in a lot of countries in the world and it benefits their citizens immensely. Coming out of university with no debt whatsoever, or even a debt that would come gradually out of your taxes (situation in Australia) essentially gives many others in the world an immediate advantage over US and Canadian citizens. This is so because there are so many US and Canadian students who graduate and have to repay tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans if they were not fortunate enough to get a scholarship or have private wealth. Why should a really keen student in the USA or Canada have to struggle with deciding about further education because of price? It is, in my humble opinion, discriminatory to those who are not wealthy.
It is no secret that an educated citizenry builds a better society. Political theorists have been writing about it for hundreds of years. So why not give the chance for all citizens in the US to study and follow their dreams?
The caveat is that social programs have to be run extremely tightly. Recall the three words used at the beginning: efficient, competitive, and cutting-edge. Fiscal responsibility is of paramount importance, and social program conducted in this way can greatly facilitate the ingenuity and drive of capitalism. We have to use the marketplace as a tool to keep our social programs competitive with private clinics. It simply takes a strict allocation of funds, management, constant revision, and an in-depth understanding of the citizenry to plan and sustainably manage large social programs. Overall, it should be a long-term process ratified by the public.
Wealth redistribution, Giuliani said, is a socialist ideal that is alien to the American ideology. I do not consider ideology or partisanship in politics, only what is useful, and Giuliani’s type of rhetoric is not useful for the interest of the wider public. It benefits the wealthy. Is that fair? I implore people to tell me why a country with arguably the strongest economy and earnings in the world has a high level of societal ills? Redistributing some of that wealth, even a little bit, would benefit the poorest Americans through to the often forgotten middle-class. I honestly think that the ideological underpinnings of McCain’s and Giuliani’s rhetoric is not useful and not even close to being in the best interest of the citizens most in need.
I ask, what is so fundamentally wrong about helping others out?
When is enough profit enough?
I stand on behalf of the poor, the needy, the eldery, the forgotten. For those who cannot care for themselves, for those in want of food, of medicine, of knowledge, of preace, or equality. I stand on behalf of what is useful, for what is best utilized by humans to improve our condition. Ultimately, I stand for the element of democracy.
I oppose the tyranny of profit, I oppose war, I oppose violence, I oppose inequality, I oppose injustice, I oppose what is not useful in politics, I oppose the unecessary wasting away of people due to illness and starvation, I oppose environmental damage, I oppose materialism. Ultimately, I oppose the selfish, the cruel, the evil, and the unjust.
Please, stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. Stand for reason. We are not better off letting others starve and suffer as their anger and distress will in turn affect us. I will not pass like a ship in the night for my own comfort. I will stand.