This is one of those times when I do not want to believe the words I am writing. I have read a report in the NZ Sunday Herald today about how some of the victims of the cruel massacre in Colorado may face huge medical bills. If this is true, because hospitals in the USA are only obliged to ‘stabilize’ victims of accidents or other ‘foul play,’ then I say shame on a nation that espouses lofty ideals about freedom and fair play to the rest of the world.
I communicate with some very humane and intelligent people in the USA and from time to time they express views very close to my own. On this issue I will be looking forward to their comments.
It is inconceivable to me that any nation purporting to be ‘developed’ and boasting high standards of living for the majority of its citizens, along with strong laws on taxation so that Government can guarantee a minimum life standard for those who are not able to look after themselves, through no fault of their own can be so remiss in situations like this.
I guess my views would be labelled naïve and left of centre for large sections of the population in the USA and indeed here in NZ too, but I propose that any decent society at least aims for the goal of taking a role in caring for its people. Yes, that means higher taxation, but for me, that means I can sleep at night knowing that the vast majority of my fellow citizens have at least the basics of life and would certainly be well cared for in situations like those we have sadly witnessed yet again in Colorado.
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