I cannot even begin to understand why any decent, logical, caring, and/or civic minded person would not be in favour of socialised medicine. I wouldn’t go as far as to accuse them of immorality, though I certainly find the “bootstraps” mentality repellant. The type of words that generally spring to mind when encountering it are more along the lines of clueless (or wilfully obtuse), blinkered, classist, lacking in empathy, out-of-touch, sanctimonious … that kind of caper. I do, however, believe that a system that forces a cancer sufferer to literally work themselves to death in order to retain their medical benefits speaks volumes about the morality of those who implement and support it. This is morally wrong. And, for what it’s worth, your assumptions about my friend’s situation couldn’t be further off the mark.
As for ad hominem attacks, perhaps I am unusual in that I consider my political views as inherent a part of me as my blue eyes, short stature, and frankly awesome pinball-playing and fashion accessorising skills. Ergo I tend to assume the same is true of anyone espousing views I take personal or political issue with, particularly if those views have a direct impact and negative consequences on my life or the lives of those I care for. A view, for instance, that implies any individual who doesn’t lead a life entirely devoid of beer, skittles, wine, women and song is a undeserving waster, should they ever require medical resources. That’s not how insurance works. If someone’s house burns down because they forgot to extinguish a scented candle in a post coital haze then my contribution will go towards rebuilding the damage, even though the whole thing could have have been neatly avoided had they only embraced a life of celibacy. (“But…but…sex is good and wholesome!”, you may declaim, “It’s not like smoking or drunk driving or snorting coke or, heaven forfend, heedlessly stuffing your kite with Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte while fat!”. To which one could reply, “Oh really? What if they did it without a condom? What if either of them has an STD or HIV? What if one of them shags some stranger every night of the week to fill some deep inner void? What if one is a sex addict? What if one likes threesomes and the thought of that makes me barf? OMG it’s so unhealtheeeee!”) Surely it’s better for all concerned if we just resign ourselves to the fact that we‘re not God, cough up, and pipe down about the way strangers choose to live their lives. One individual’s “non-compliance” could be the difference between their sanity or necking all the pills in the bottle.
“Wouldn’t it be immoral for patients who receive medicine for their own pain to sell it to others and then claim more medicine?”
If money was changing hands it would make them a drug dealer so, probably, yes. If they were passing that medication on free of charge to someone who desperately needed it and couldn’t afford medical insurance or qualify for benefits, then, in my opinion, no. I’d probably think they were a mensch. Either way this scenario is entirely irrelevant to what is under discussion and, since I’ve never encountered this situation, why would I give it a moment’s thought let alone wrestle with it?
