The 12 Apostates,
The most amusing thing about this whole discussion, is that all these advocates of free market capitalism and hard work aren't millionaires. Obviously, they are lazy failures.
What Do You Think of Socialism?
by minimus 64 Replies latest jw friends
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The 12 Apostates
I'm sure they're all very wealthy and great examples of why free market capitalism works. At least they would be if free market capitalism even existed, which it doesn't, its just as unstable a concept as hard socialism.
I'm all for a free market, with safeguards in place which allow all people to work and trade freely of course, in other words not so free as to allow monopolies. I want a mixed economy with a combination of capitalism (if only to avoid upsetting those who fetishise it) and social welfare in place to make sure that those who aren't as fortunate or as well-endowed with business acumen are well taken care of.
Universal healthcare for instance makes sense in so many ways, here in the UK I would be dead were it not for the NHS, literally. I've had medical issues that would render me poison to insurers, to whom money is more important than life. The fact that Americans spend more money per capita on healthcare than any country with nationalised healthcare discredits their system right out of the gate.
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Spoletta
The 12 Apostates
I likewise would be dead or living on the street if I had to rely on the US health care system. Without the caps established by the Affordable Care Act, I would be homeless, due to a heart attack, gallbladder surgery, eye surgery, and torn meniscus in both knees, none of which could be foreseen. Luckily, I'm now on Medicare, or I would be uninsurable at this point..
I'm sure many here have insurance through their jobs, so don't realize the fear that those less fortunate have of any major illness.
People will disagree, but there is a tiny minority of people who take advantage of the social safety net. If they're fine with the majority of those less fortunate suffering and dying because a few are cheaters, that's up to them and their conscience.
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fulltimestudent
I read that there are some 500,000 bankruptcies a year in the USA, due to medical expenses. Is that true?
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The 12 Apostates
This article explains it quite well. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/643000-bankruptcies-in-the-u-s-every-year-due-to-medical-bills/
The long and short of it seems to be that the number is probably less than 500,000 a year, but that there are certainly that many every few years, at least. It's certainly not a good idea to get seriously ill in the US unless you're doing well financially, or at least have good insurance.