Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnClif
Many talk about health care and how it should be considered as a right that everyone is entitled to. The problem with this is that, unlike the negative rights that are guaranteed in our Constitution, positive rights like the right to health care and the right to employment put a financial burden on others. Is it right to forcibly confiscate money (which really represents a portion of our lives, the time we spent earning that money) from one person and give its value to another? After all, taxes aren't voluntary. If you don't pay them, the IRS comes to collect, with guns... and they will shoot you if you resist. Sounds more like robbery than charity, doesn't it? And, if health care is a right, then what about food and water? We all MUST have sustenance daily or we will die. Why aren't these free? The answer is, a need does not create a right, and redistributing wealth even for a good cause is unconstitutional. This is the principled reason why many are against government-run health care; the ends do not justify the means.
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"No man is an island"
You live in a society and as such have responsibilities as well as rights. That is something that so many seem to overlook and conveniently forget.
Just as an example, and I don't know your driving habits, maybe your neighbour doesn't own a car or use the roads and you do. Should you have to pay higher taxes for that? Your house may be broken into more often than your neighbour. Should you pay higher taxes to pay for more police?
Here's another, real world example.
Farmers generally live in rural, less populated areas. Providing health care services to such areas is more expensive per person. So, I assume you would argue, that is their choice and they should have to pay all associated costs through higher premiums. So they are left with the choice of paying higher premiums or leaving their farm and moving to a city so as to pay less premiums.
So who would provide the food for your society if all the farmers decided they couldn't afford the higher premiums and moved to the city instead?
I guess we just thank our lucky stars that there are people who like to live in the country and work a farm and don't really question where the food in the supermarket comes from. We don't ever let ourselves think that without farmers our society would go to shit. We convince ourselves that "I shouldn't be forced to pay for someone elses choices" even if those choices are what allows our society to continue to function. We happily take advantage of others for our own good but scream about our "rights" if we are ever expected to fork out for something we don't think we should.
Cheers,
PKFFW