From: altamira (altamira@ecpi.com)
Date: Wed Jun 28 2000 - 11:50:24 MDT
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-extropians@extropy.com
>
>
> I thank Marx every day that I live in Australia, because with my slum
> background I would have been dead and maimed a number of times over if I'd
> had to depend in childhood on my parents' income to cover my
> health.
Yes, it's a good thing you were able to get medical care. The world would
now be a less interesting place if you'd died as a child. But this proves
no more in general than my tale of Wendy in Moscow.
>
> >>I have a
> >>friend who got pneumonia when she was in Moscow and had to go into a
> >>hospital there. <the horror, the horror >
>
> Yeah, yeah. Stalinism isn't anyone's model of a good society.
I knew someone would get me for this! OK, so the history of one fairly
unusual country doesn't prove anything.
Can we all agree, though, that in general, people are willing to work harder
if their material rewards are directly proportional to the work done? And
that they're willing to spend more time, thought, and money on research if
they stand a chance of getting a patent if and when they come up with
something? And that, ceteris paribus, a more intelligent worker in the
medical field will be more valuable than a less intelligent one?
Actually, my point about the quality of medical care under "Green Party"
type rule had nothing to do with the cost of medical care to the consumer.
It had much more to do with the freedom of people to enter into contracts
with each other and the definition of property rights. I accept the
responsibility for being misunderstood. My communications skills are
atrocious (but I'm working on them).
> I love the way such topics (from a non-US perspective) go instantly
> hysterical with fear & loathing. Might do many people on the list
> some good
> to spend some time in other First World nations where we do things
> differently (yet haven't ended up in an immiserated Gulag).
Heheh. Walk a mile in the other guy's moccasins. No doubt it would be
good, but second best would be learn more about what it's like from
first-hand accounts of people who live there. So what IS it like in
Australia, Damien? (and since we're not talking f2f and you can't see the
sincerity in my eyes, let me assure you that this question is asked out of
real curiosity, not as a rhetorical device).
> Damien
> [incredibly irritated by the recent Australian govt introduction
> of a Goods
> & Services Tax that will almost certainly impact the poor more than the
> wealthy]
Most taxes and regulations DO end up impacting the poor more than the
wealthy. Listen, one reasons I stopped practicing tax law (I confess, it
was a minor reason) was that the people who needed help the most couldn't
afford my fees (and I couldn't afford to charge really low fees, what with
having to keep up the overhead on the office, secretaries, etc.). I do more
good overall offering low-cost tax return preparation and do-it-yourself
advice to people about how to deal with the taxing authorities.
Bonnie
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