The New Republic‘s editors
[registration required] say it is time for big ideas from liberals, and
by golly they’re going to provide those big ideas. First up, universal
health care in Marxist terms:
While the foreign threat to capitalism has
subsided, the domestic inadequacies are becoming severe once again, as
pensions and job security vanish in the hypercompetitive global
economy. The historic solution to this problem was to insulate
individuals from excessive risk. And, while the private sector once did
this for health care, it’s no longer up to the task. Government isn’t
the best way to provide all Americans with health security. It’s the only way. And it’s time for liberalism to say so openly.
Clive Crook the capitalist editor of The Atlantic, however, says it is time to unshackle markets
The whole thing is political poison, of course,
but as costs keep rising, something will eventually have to give. The
present system is on course to be unaffordable and to let too many
people down, and the closer you get to the single-payer socialized
alternative, the less appealing it looks. Consumer-driven health care,
supplemented with generous subsidies for those with low incomes, is at
least worth a try.
