I think he is wrong when he talks about basic health care as a right of every individual. Universal health care would certainly provide for everyone, but we as society should, if we are capable, provide that PRIVILEGE to every American. We should be bound as decent human beings to provide that, but we shouldn't lose sight that in the end, it is still a privilege, and can never be a legitimate right.

it is still a privilege, and can never be a legitimate right.

The founding fathers might tend to disagree with your assessment.

"All men are endowed by their creator with certain inalieable rights.. amoung these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."

Perhaps it is not an individual right but a right of the country. At the very least it is a necessity. For both the individuals pursuit of happiness and function of a free society.

luckystarr, i think you're ignoring one of the great wonders of capitalism: the "privilege" of health care will be provided, always, by private companies, as good buisiness. it's not the privilege we have to worry about. it's the RIGHT, something that can only be provided by the government since, contrary to the lovely words redseven quoted above, no one is really born with any "rights" at all (and what is this "creator" stuff, anyway?) but rather are given those rights (or not) by their fellow humans.

personally, i think since the gov't is spending all that money ensuring our rights to, say, occupy iraq, that they can afford to make health care more than a privelage. it's not, after all, some newfangled, radical idea.

I disagree. I believe we are born with certain rights, and that they are denied when a person feels the need to exploit another.

Kennedy described health care as a fundamental right, which cannot qualify as such, but only as something provided by somebody else. I guess it depends on your definition of a 'right', but Kennedy narrowed his definition when he specified the right as fundamental.

I disagree. I believe we are born with certain rights, and that they are denied when a person feels the need to exploit another.

Kennedy described health care as a fundamental right, which cannot qualify as such, but only as something provided by somebody else. I guess it depends on your definition of a 'right', but Kennedy narrowed his definition when he specified the right as fundamental.

Luckystarr, I respect your view, but I disagree. I consider health care to be in the same category as education, fire and police protection, and legal representation. These are rights we should be able to expect simply because we are citizens of a wealthy nation. As citizens, we create government as a means of pooling a certain part of our resources and providing universal services. It's the basic contract we agree to when we reach adulthood.

A society can think of any service as a privilege and choose not to provide it to its citizens. Perhaps in your opinion, health care is such a service. For me however, other things being more or less equal, a society that provides health care for its members is simply a kinder society than than one that doesn't. Just as a society that provides fire protection is a kinder society than one that doesn't. And I would like to live in a place where, when I am sick or injured, I don't have to think about the cost of getting better, regardless of my present or future wealth situation.

Such a society shouldn't only exist in my imagination. It should be my country.