From: Ascmjk@aol.com
Date: Wed Jul 14 2004 - 14:59:12 BST
In a message dated 7/13/2004 12:07:45 PM Central Standard Time,
ajb102@psu.edu writes:
But, instead I will tell you what a close friend, a resident of Albertslund,
said to me. She said, "You Americans argue that because our tax rate is so
high
we are not free. But these taxes ensure everyone has access to health care,
without having to worry about insane medical bills that would bankrupt us or
stressing each day as to whether or not we'd wake up in the morning and find
ourselves without medical insurance. This is to me much more freedom. The
freedom to live without having to spend each day afraid of tomorrow."
The same applies to higher education. When the citizenry is free to "learn"
(instead of turning learning into a market commodity), their overall personal
freedoms increase exponentially. People are "free" to follow their desires
and
talents. Some would have you believe that student loans (and the like) make
higher education available to any and all, but I can tell you it does not. I
work for a University. And I have known personally over the years many bright
students who had to drop out because their loan money did not come through.
In
America, the answer would be "tough". In Denmark, that person would be free
to
pursue learning.
It's all about balance. There must be some Quality-related reason that
people from all over the world come to the United States, rather than Denmark, for
important medical procedures. The American health care system somehow has a
good reputation around the world. I'd be willing to bet that if the US health
care system had been socialized long, long ago (like back in the 1940s)
America would not be "the last best hope" for people who need the best health
care. Would you agree?
As for education, you'll notice the same phenomena. People from all over the
world come here for literally "the best" education in the world. So there
must be something of very high Quality about it.
And most of all, people from all over the world still dream about one day
coming to the United States. Hatred for the West has been overblown by the
media--if one country comes closest to utopia on earth in the hearts and minds of
people all across the globe, it's still America. (Not the socialist-minded
intellectuals, or the religious zealots, but the average people with dreams
deep in their hearts of a kind Dynamic Freedom that they've never
experienced--whatEVER the reason is, as Pirsig says, there is SOMETHING mysteriously
dynamic about America that other nations don't have. America is like a dream girl.)
Jon
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