For the first time since moving into his new digs and home studio, Bill welcomed veteran newsman and libertarian John Stossel.  It is the ideal time to find out what a true free-market maven thinks about health care and the government's obligations to its citizens. 

"The government owes us nothing in health care," Stossel declared."  The government owes us rule of law and private property and then should leave us alone.  There can be huge safety nets, but they would be run by private charities and mutual aid societies, the way they used to be."  Bill objected, saying, "If you were dictator, a lot of people would be dying and the government would be saying that's just Darwinism." 

But Stossel defended his position and its essential wisdom:  "A lot of people would not be dying.  Years ago, when America was much poorer, almost no one starved because of mutual aid societies.  You can say that a cancer treatment would cost more, but government has no money of its own.  Every time it pays for a treatment, it's taking money from some other American and that is unsustainable.  Medicare and Medicaid are about to blow up!  Libertarians say life works best when government does the least."  Stossel reiterated, "The private sector and charities will come through and do this better than government." 

Bill agreed that some private charities are extremely well run, but worried that "they would be overwhelmed" under the radical libertarian vision.  Stossel's rejoinder:  "There would be charity emergency rooms because people would be so rich because they get to keep the money that government now takes from them and squanders.  We wouldn't let people die, there are a lot of rich people."  Bill again expressed a modicum of doubt, arguing that even though "we are the most generous nation on earth, I'm not sure that all the medical problems of the people could be handled in a private way." 

Stossel continued with a personal story:  "There's a guy named Cheech who begs outside my fancy building in New York City.  I talk to him, but I don't really help him because there is a whole bureaucracy in place to do that.  If we were not relying on government to do this, many of us would help in a big way.  And that would be a better way to do it than government does it now.  Government is going to run out of money.  It's like Venezuela and someday we'll have 1,000% inflation." 

Bill tried once more to corner Stossel, asking how he would handle the truly hopeless cases.  "We have millions of addicted people who have no resources," Bill said, "and it's their fault because of addiction or gambling.  They go to the government and ask for assistance, and the government gives them our tax dollars to keep them afloat.  But if you're dictator, you would just let them go, it would be like Calcutta in India?"

Stossel conceded that there would be some human cost, but reiterated that the libertarian way would be far and away a net positive:  "We should help certain people who need a hand up, but we will give up on other people.  Some addicted people will finally decide to get their lives together and take care of themselves." 

Click here to become a Premium Member