George S., I agree that the free market works best in most circumstances. Venezuela should have made that obvious to anyone familiar with the situation there under Chávez. A decade or so ago, pre-Chávez, Venezuelan medical care was quite good for those with the resources to afford it, and better than it currently is for those lacking such resources. I strongly suspect that medical care in Panamá is presently far superior to that in Venezuela for those lacking such resources as well as for those with those resources.
There are some things the government is in a position to do which the private sector is not. Roads are one example. National defense is another, and other examples could easily be provided. Even in the private sector, some governmental oversight is needed. The existing antitrust laws should be enforced, and criminals need to be punished. There are criminals in every society, and unfortunately there are too many in government. Also unfortunately, far too much attention is being given to radical change and to meeting unrealistic expectations, and far too little is being given to enforcement of existing laws.
I don’t think that “Obamacare,” whatever it turns out to be, would fix the current problems with medical care in the United States, and feel strongly that it would make the situation far worse, for all. The “entitlement” mentality so common in the United States should not be perpetuated.
It will be very interesting to hear tonight exactly what President Obama says must be done; based on his prior statements, I don’t expect to hear much with which I shall agree.
