This evening, at the Accent-sponsored forum on universal healthcare, I got into an argument during the Q&A session with Dr. David Himmelstein, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard and founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. Our debate went something like this:
Me: In the interest of full disclosure, I am a libertarian. To quote one of my idols, Milton Friedman, “the key to solving our healthcare crisis is to convert the patient from the ward of the state to a rational, self-interested consumer.” We should stop treating healthcare like it’s some sort of right, paid for by the taxpayer, and instead treat like any other consumer good.
Dr. Himmelstein: You want to take us back to an era when children died, the poor were undercovered. Just look at the beginning of the last century. Your views lack any sort of morality (applaud from liberal audience).
Me: You’re twisting my words. No one here is advocating that people go uninsured, but there is no doubt in my mind that the free market is more efficient at allocating any goods than the government could possibly be.
Dr. Himmelstein: You need to go back and look at history in order to understand this issue (insert Ivy League patronizing).
Here is an article from the Mises Institute summarizing my view on this matter.
1. http://www.mises.org/story/1239
I suppose I can’t apply to Harvard Med School now.
Wow, Vake. I’m really amazed. Great work. I wish I had been there.
LOL, great summary. I wanted to go to this but I had an exam. Also, don’t let that prevent you from applying there for med-school if you wanted to…that’s just silly haha.
I’m guessing no matter how well argued your point could have been, he would have used the same one line ivy response. That guy is a douche. Rather than reading his “history books,” he should have just read Capitalism and Freedom. At least you got a better response than I did.
I spent tonight watching C-Span and actually called in and asked a question live to the Cuban National Assembly President (Ricardo Alarcon) via satellite. Obviously I’m not a big fan of ruthless communist dictatorships, so it was hard enough to concentrate and ask the question without blood shooting through my eyes. In the end he pulled the old political switcharoo and answered the question he wished I had asked, rather than the one I did. I’m still foaming out the mouth.
That’s the one thing that really, really annoys me about politicians. You ask a question and instead of answering the question they blabber about whatever they want to talk about or whatever talking point is semi-related to your question.
I suppose this is the very definition of a ‘good’ politician: being able to switch things around in your favor now matter what the people say.
Ugh….so disenfranchised. Even Ron Paul does this BS. His Jay Leno interview was terrible. Leno wanted some real answers and Paul didn’t give any.