ACA Repeal/Replace: Progressives Face Moral Dilemma

[Warren Dew]

(08-25-2017, 12:51 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(08-24-2017, 10:19 PM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(08-21-2017, 09:20 PM)Kinser79 Wrote: As for the VA, well, there are veterans in every generation in my family less the youngest one (they aren't old enough yet).  Our collective memory of the VA and its services are almost universally poor.  My grandfather (a WW2 vet, deceased now) said that he wouldn't put his dog in a VA hospital.  My uncles (both Vietnam Vets, one Army the other USMC) refused to use those services unless they absolutely had to.  My cousins (Gulf War I vets) were thoroughly unimpressed with the VA.  And of course you have my impressions of it.

Could a model like the VA be used?  Yes.  Can it even be good?  Yes, the UK's NHS is fairly decent.  But in order to make it workable it would have to be universalized so as poor service, and lack of funding comes on the backs of the political class, as is the case in the UK.  The VA is as bad as it is, I suspect because a fraction of a fraction of the population use it and thus there isn't a powerful voting bloc to rail for necessary improvements.

I agree with your assessment of the VA.  However, I have some in laws in the UK, and the NHS is not any better.  It's just that most Brits have never known anything else, so they don't realize how bad it is.

It's simply not possible for mandatory monopolies to render good service.  Their internal incentive are wrong.

H-m-m-m.  Apparently you have rich in-laws in the UK, because 90+% of Brits love the service.  And your comment on mandatory monopolies also applies to the police, fire services and, not coincidently, the military.

I've bolded the part that already addresses your first point.

Let's see, what about the other monopolies you mention?  Police - disavow any duty to protect the citizenry; only go after criminals after the fact and leave many cases unsolved.  Fire services - some areas have private fire services and it seems to work.  The military - mistakenly invade entire countries based on false reports about stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.  Yes, looks like my comment applies.