Who's the Socialist, Anyway?
Copyright (C) 1997 by Steve Litt. -- Legal
When talk turns to equity in production and allocation of goods and services, invariably certain individuals pontificate the dangers of communism and socialism, urging instead the adoption of "free enterprise". Isn't it interesting that those certain individuals are primarily those of wealth and power. Let's examine an example of their committment to free enterprise:
Health Care -- Doctors:
Who could be more "free enterprise" than American physicians. They, through the American Medical Association, thwarted President Truman in his attempt to socialize medicine. They similarly defeated President Clinton's attempt to regulate healthcare. Our doctors are true warriers in the fight for free enterprise.
Of course, there's the little matter of their sweetheart deal with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to bar entry of most good foreign physicians. Oh, and their successful lobbying to prevented the creation of new medical schools on American soil, even though the aging baby boom generation has created much increased demand for their service. (Note: I'll provide documentation on these two assertions as this site develops.)
So let me make sure I understand. They've prevented the government from regulating their pay, but they've colluded with the government to restrict supply of their service, including removal of foreign competition. MUST BE NICE!
I issue this challenge to American Phyisicians and the AMA. Put your free enterprise money where your mouth is. Lobby the government to allow construction of whatever American medical schools the market will bear. And allow any foreign phyisician who passes the same test (test, not residence or domestic practice requirements) as American doctors to practice in the US. I predict the cost of an office visit will drop from $100+ to $50, and the time the doctor spends with the patient will increase from 5 minutes to 30. Marginal doctors will be unemployed. That's a good thing, because better service at lower prices is what free enterprise is all about.
Until you doctors take the free enterprise pledge outlined in the previous paragraph, please don't call me names when I advocate a single payer system. Let he who is without socialism cast the first stone.
Conclusion:
This site's home page begins with this sentence:
This site is devoted to the middle class, who produce most useful goods and services, but are increasingly prohibited from sharing in those goods and services. |
Big business types often dismiss such discussion with words such as "communism", "socialistic", "welfare mentality", "entitlement mentality", all the while recieving huge entitlements in the form of government sponsored monopoly priveleges and other anti-free-enterprise perks. The middle class is smarter and nimbler than the old-money types. In a true free-enterprise environment, the middle class would quickly put established large companies out of business.
