There’s a lot in your post. A whole lot of statements that deserve correction, a whole lot of nonsense, and I could go through it, line by line, and address each point. I could debunk that nonsensical talking point about Canadians coming to the US for treatment, or the idea that any foray into socialism is a slippery slope to bread lines and gulags.
But I’m not going to.
You know why?
Because I live in Germany. Germany is one of the many, many, many countries in the world that is a free, open, pluralistic, democratic society, and also a sensible social medical system. One of the many, many, many countries in the world that has a more cost-effective, more egalitarian, and more sensible medical system than the USA. One of the man, many, many systems in which getting in an accident that requires surgery and time in the ICU doesn’t simultaneously mean having to declare bankruptcy and/or mortgage the house (while also probably losing my job, but the way you treat your workers is a different very sad story to how you treat your sick). I am literally living in the country which serves as a direct refutation to your arguments.
Oh, I’m sorry, did I say the country? I mean a country. Because there’s like 40 of 'em by now. And not even just the nice countries. I’m pretty sure Pakistan is working towards UHC at this point.
If your liberty comes at the cost of trading the health care system have for the health care system you have, you can keep your liberty. I don’t want it. I’m perfectly fucking fine with the liberty I have right here, and were I to ask my doctor (who I can see for the low low price of fucking nothing), I’m fairly sure he would feel much the same way.
You know, if we are gonna leave health care private…why don’t we privatize police and fire?
In return for lower taxes, you need to have “police insurance”. Non insured do not get law enforcement services, though if they can scrape together enough money, they can buy a gun and watch a few youtube videos so they can DIY it. (you know, like if you don’t have enough money to stitch yourself up after an accident)
Just like EMTLA, if an axe murderer is actually right on your trail, you can shelter in the police station. But if the officers on duty step outside and don’t see anyone, it’s back out on the streets you go.
Same for fire insurance. Oh, and with fire insurance, if your neighbors are uninsured, they charge you more since blazes might travel from their structure to yours.
Oh, and after seeing a licensed policeman, they will send you a bill. Not disclosed beforehand, of course. “1 suspect interrogation, $250. Written statement fee, $60”. And so on. Since they will restrict the number of slots in police academy, no doubt being a policeman will be a highly coveted job, since if you can get in, it’s $125,000 a year for the rest of your life. Hope you have good police insurance and the crime you are a victim of is covered. Most policies won’t cover death threats, since they are expensive and hard to track down for little benefit.
Oh, and let’s stop selling the tools of policemen, like ammo, over the counter. No, to buy ammo, you’ll need a prescription from a licensed policeman. You aren’t to be trusted with such a dangerous item otherwise. You will need to convince a licensed policeman you are under a real risk of being robbed or raped or murdered in the future, and then you’ll get a script for a few rounds of ammo. Probably just .22, since policeman won’t want to get in trouble for over-prescribing the more powerful rounds.
Whining about the wealthy paying the medical costs of someone else is absurd. We all pay the combined costs of government infrastructure. And we all suffer the imbalance of the system. I was drafted into the war time military while Trump was chasing women and getting rich. I pay a far higher percent of my disposable income in taxes than Trump does.
UHC is a reasonable function of government that has nothing to do with Socialism. UHC does not constitute government control of the means of production. However, UHC does “promote the general welfare” which is one of the Founder’s stated goals for creating the US Constitution.