Short Thought on Health Care

Health care is not a natural right

(nature is indifferent).

But humans can make health care a human right.

We often think of rights as god-given,

but all rights are born of human effort,

whether inspired by religious belief or not.

Let's make health care a human right!

- Pete Barkett, July, 2017

Comments

John Henry and The Common Good

Well John Henry said to the captain "By god I ain't no fool Before I die with a hammer in my hand I'm gonna get me a steam drill, too, lord, lord Get me a steam drill, too" - parody by the great Smothers Brothers They had the right idea. Instead of millions of workers being put out of work by robots, workers should have ownership of the robots that replace them, which they then lease to the companies that they once worked for, giving them a wage, a stake in the success of the company, and the opportunity to do other work as well. This would be not too dissimilar to the annual dividends that all Alaskans get from the energy companies, although there will need to be an alternative as we move away from fossil fuels. This would all fall under the broad umbrella of taking care of the common good, a concept that we've too often replaced with individualism. Entrepreneurial spirit is fine. I had it when I ran a small business. ...

The National Rifle Association-backed gun advocates claim that passing this law or that law wouldn't have prevented this mass shooting or that mass shooting. It's a completely false argument. It's like saying that passing this election reform law or that election reform law wouldn't have prevented Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell or Paul Ryan from being elected. It may be true, but it would be a good start. - Pete Barkett 02/22/18

Musings

Right-To-Lifers Don’t Go Far Enough I was pro-choice, but I’ve changed my mind. The problem is not that the State should govern what a woman does with her body, the problem is that the State has not gone far enough. The argument is that to protect the life of a fetus, the State must overrule a woman’s privacy and bodily autonomy and regulate her body for her. Fine. If we want the State to be in the business of protecting life through bodily regulation, then go all in. Stick to the prime directive. Protect all life. The State should govern both men and women to protect life. The State should tell any healthy person what to do with their body in order to protect life. So, if someone needs a kidney, liver, or any organ transplant to save their life, the State should find someone and take whatever parts are needed to save that life. If not, then we are allowing organ-icide. (...

That's How the Light Gets In

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