In Co. We Trust

"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." - John Maynard Keynes

I was watching Meet the Press earlier today, and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) said something that really caught my attention. "It is intensely personal; your health care, your plans, your family. There is no role for government in that."

I agree that health care is intensely personal, yet, if the government is simply offering public health care services and nothing else, then how is the government invading that privacy?

But another more interesting question that came to my mind is this. If we keep the Health Care system the way it is, does that mean that Sen. Coburn believes that Health Care Insurance companies have a role in that intensely personal sector?

This brings me to my topic. What is America's love affair with a free market? Why do we swear by a system that doesn't believe in people, but only in money? Capitalism has several positive aspects. It drives competition within the industry, which inspires innovation and better products and prices. Consumers definitely benefit from that. There are honest, hard working companies out there that provide legitimate products for fair prices, and then there are entire industries that are fundamentally corrupt.

Just take a moment to think about the system that is the Health Care Insurance business. You pay $X amount to your insurance company. If you don't use your health insurance that month, that money goes to profit the company. Even if you do use it, it'll only cover a certain amount of your medical bills. Does it not seem crooked that health care is a hugely profitable business? This is the case with all insurance companies. It's sort of like the mafia, but in a nice, legal way. I understand that I'm paying $X amount for a service, and if I don't require that service this month, I want my money to go to someone who does require it. This money can be used to save lives, and at the moment, it's not.

My problem is that we, as a society, have labeled companies as a good thing, and the government as a bad thing. And to quote my favorite political source:

"We have to say what we feel, that government, no matter what its failures in the past and in times to come for that matter, government can be a place where people come together and where no one gets left behind. No one... gets left behind. An instrument of good." - The West Wing