Capitalism, Socialism, Health Care, and Patriotism

By

Dr. Mahmoud S. Audi

Contrary to what some may write or say, there is no conflict between capitalism and socialism. But some television and radio talk show hosts, and some newspapers columnists, continue to frighten descent but ill informed Americans, by the ghoul of socialism. The examples are abundant; socialism and capitalism have worked together in America, in Europe, and throughout the world, for many decades. Grant you, the terminology need elucidation.
Socialism is an economic system where the production and distribution of wealth is owned by the community—in a democratic system of government the elected representatives constitute the community. In this context, community, democratic government, and elected government are interchangeable.
Next, the economic system where the dictatorial government owns the production and distribution of wealth is communism. In a communist country a powerful dictator or political party imposes its will on the people it governs.
In the context of the health care industry, the word “wealth” in the previous paragraphs could be replaced by the word “health.” In the United States, most of the healthcare management entities are owned by corporations. Medicare and Medicate, although they are run by the government, the corporations manage the delivery of the services, for a monthly premium. Corporations may remain reasonable, and continue to operate profitably; they may fail to deliver the services, and the people get hurt; or they may become greedy and corrupted with fraud, and fail miserably. A democratic government comes to the aid of the people when a corporation fails. It regulates the operations of the failed corporations, and it subsidizes services if they are essential to the health of the people and the health of the country. This might become a social program.
But the socialism that still frightens people goes back to the Marxist theory (socialism leads to communism) of the nineteenth century; armed with this theory, Linen and his Bolshevik cohorts forcefully toppled the government and usurped power in Russia, in 1917; and the almost immediate spread of communism in countries around Russia, in Asia and in what had become Eastern Europe frightened people all over the world. That fear is still lingering in the minds of some.
The countries aligned themselves in one of two camps: the communist camp led by the Soviet Union and the capitalist camp led by the United States. Those alliances did not calm the people. Instead, the fear was exacerbated during the thirties, the forties, and the fifties of the last century. There were serious discussions, besides fear mongering in Western Europe and in the United States.
The discussions in the United States turned into condemnations. They generated a lot noise and fury and many individuals and groups were labeled un-American and persecuted. In the United States the fear came mostly from the inside rather than from the Red menace in the outside. And McCarthyism (after Sen. Joseph McCarthy) is to blame. The constitution which guaranteed our freedoms and liberties and fair trials was effectively shelved.
Now we live in a different world: the experiment of communism had failed. And the Marxist theory was proven wrong, when the communist Soviet Union fell crumbling. Capitalism survived, and the corporations won: the production and distribution of wealth are in their hands. And in the health care industry, the health care of the people is in their hands.
Unfortunately, corporations (driven by profit motives) of the health care industry have failed. The community (the elected government) must intervene to protect the interests of the people. The health care reform proposal advanced by President Obama, developed for that purpose, would regulate the health care industry and provide assistance to those who may need it. It is not another social program; because health care corporations would remain in charge of managing the system. They would still sell health care insurance to the public. The Obama proposal is not an invention: Democratic governments (communities) of the West have always subsidized necessary programs (including health care) for the well being of their people.
Congress and the president have worked for more than a year to get a fix for system. They produced two bills. It is important to note that the Republicans in the two Houses did not vote for either of the bills, not a single soul did. The casual observer would notice that they have been obstructionists. Their leadership does not want to support every Obama initiative. They want him to fail—an un-patriotic motive—and they think they can do it by defeating his initiatives, and by saying “No” to his agenda.
When the president urged them to participate, they made unreasonable demands, such as scraping the year-long work of Congress, and start all over again—a delaying tactic. To me and to other casual observers, they seem that they cannot accept the fact that they are the minority in both houses of Congress.
They have been working hard to defeat the Obama health care proposal. The health insurance corporations have recently intensified their efforts, and millions of dollars have been spent on advertising. The battle is raging, and the winner is not yet known. An amazing thing to observe is the Republicans are united in their attempts to defeat the proposal. But the Democrats are not united for passing it.
After a number of attempts, the president realized that the Republicans are not serious about working with him. So he recently started campaigning and organizing to pass the bill. They have supporters too, and they have intensified their campaign, too. They have supporters with deep pockets like the Republicans. They are advertising heavily in targeted districts. As I see it, both the Republicans and the Democrats are working not necessarily for the health care proposal or against it, but for what would happen in the 2010 and 2012 elections, and how either party can influence the outcome by what they do now. Unfortunately, this is American politics.
The health care reform bill may not help me. It is more likely that my health insurance premiums would increase. But my advocacy for a health care bill has not been for my personal benefit. It is for helping poor Americans find health care when they need one. It is patriotic to help others who need help to remain healthy. A healthy nation is a prerequisite for a strong and secure nation. It is patriotic to carry arms and fight for the country, it is also patriotic to carry a big heart and help the nation remain healthy.