The problem is that the parasitic behaviour the grandparent post described, occu...

eru · on June 20, 2011

To clarify: I didn't mean to say that I have a strong ethical preference for universal health care. [0] What I wanted to say, is that for some things, e.g. emergency care, most societies will have rules to require universality. And if we go from there, paying for prevention often comes cheaper than waiting for the emergencies.

[0] I might have one, but it's doesn't matter for the argument. I'm also in favour of independent `death panels', that apply cost-benefit analysis to decide where to spend finite resources of society-provided universal health care.

hugh3 · on June 20, 2011

Personally I think that universal health care is undesirable for ethical reasons. How are we supposed to evolve if we don't let our species' least capable members get weeded out by natural selection?

There's nothing "ethical" about allowing folks who can't pay for their own health care to get it at someone else's expense.

BasDirks · on June 20, 2011

Personally I think that universal health care is undesirable for ethical reasons. How are we supposed to evolve if we don't let our species' least capable members get weeded out by natural selection?

I'm a big Nietzsche fan, but that my friend, is fucking disgusting.

r0s · on June 20, 2011

I happen to believe half-formed theories about evolution justify expulsion from social benefits like healthcare.

This intellectual weakness desperately needs to be purged, to allow the superior ideology of compassion to thrive.

tdfx · on June 20, 2011

You're equating the value of a person with their ability to game our society's system of making money. By your logic, we should be rushing to ensure that lottery winners in trailer parks are provided the best medical care while starving PhD students are left to die.

Natural selection is has done great things for life on our planet but it doesn't apply here.

ry0ohki · on June 20, 2011

So presumably you don't take antibiotics, insulin, an inhaler, use any reproductive aids etc... for the same logic?

burgerbrain · on June 20, 2011

Not that I necessarily agree with this but...:

If an individual has otherwise flourished in a society to the point where they can afford to have other members of a society provide them those services, then they are (despite medical appearances) apparently fairly well adapted.

The issues arise when they are not using their money to give themselves these advantages. (Perhaps it is inherited money, or perhaps it is provided by the society itself).