Friday, January 13, 2006

Socialism Rears its Ugly Head in Maryland

It appears that the worldwide collapse of socialism has not only been ignored in South America, but also right here at home, specifically in the state of Maryland.

Especially stupid is the statement by State Sen. Gloria Lawlah: "Don't dump your employees that you refuse to insure into our Medicaid system"(!) As if Walmart, by offering Marlyanders some degree of healthcare coverage in addition to a means of income, is somehow forcing the citizen's of Maryland to pay for healthcare that they wouldn't have to pay for if there were no Walmarts in the state to begin with.

The sad thing is that Wal-Mart concedes the socialist premise that everyone has a "right to health care". According to company spokeswoman Sarah Clark, "This does nothing to accomplish this goal of providing everyone access to affordable health care insurance."

Instead, Walmart should be denouncing the idea that the state has the right to force companies to pay for benefits that are not voluntarily agreed to by the employer and the employee. In other words, Walmart should be upholding freedom of contract, and denouncing the collectivist notion that it is okay to sacrifice the rights of some individuals for the benefits of others.

For a thorough debunking of the idea of a "right to health care", see Leonard Peikoff's "Healthcare is not a Right".

No comments: