You’re correct to observe that human rights are a shared responsibility of both individuals, government, and societal institutions. Thanks for your contribution here.

I do work in the Canadian Health care system in Calgary and while there are lots of criticisms it is one that works. Because we all pay into our health care system we feel ownership of it and can make suggestions on how to improve it. Overall our healthcare workers are committed to providing the best care possible and treating everyone with dignity, because in illness and death we are all equal. In every election, healthcare is one of the defining issues that politicians must address. We are proud of a system that values every life and enables access to care to anyone regardless of social class or ability to pay.

So why is it that each US citizen who have the right to vote, don’t make this a priority election issue? Why did terrorism or fear of it take over election platforms? We do have the ability to make decisions as individuals. In a few of the cases profiled in the movie there were opportunities for doctors and nurses to step forward and act based on personal values. The case that still haunts me is of the toddler who was running a high fever and her mother took her to a hospital that wasn’t covered under her insurance. Instead of acting immediately to help a seriously ill child those that were in charge of care waited too long, then transferred her to a hospital that was covered although by that time it was too late. As health care professionals we are expected to follow an oath to provide the best care possible and ‘Do no harm’.

So to me the message is Human rights are not just the responsibilty of federal governments they are the responsibility of individuals, families, communities and states.

As to what Moore proposes as an alternative, I think that he doesn’t directly propose any one thing. A health care “expert” on the radio commented that maybe the US should look at Germany, which has a “hybrid” system. Not sure what that means, since I didn’t look yet.

The movie was, indeed, propaganda. I think it was meant to provoke discussion more than to recommend answers. I’m glad for the international response here. US citizens (like Chris and me) who see the limitations need to begin advocating for at least some discussion about this.

Stephen’s comment about it never occurring to Canadians to privatize their education system is testimony to their good sense.

But we know have a government that it trying to privatise it it. They began supporting the private firms by placing a levee on tax earnings of ‘high income people’ who, according to the government mantra, ’should do the right thing and take out private health insurance so as to ease the burden on the public system.’

Not a bad idea in itself except what we now have it two streams of tax funding - the government taxes us to give money to the public system; and the government taxes us to give money to the private system. And there are cues in both systems so giving cash to the private system hasn’t fixed the issues, just split it in two at twice the cost.

My good lady wife has worked in both streams and is currently in the private system. Her general view works something like this - if you have an emergency then get yourself to a public system because the best doctors for emergencies are usually in the public system - they’re in it to keep you alive and face serious and a variety of issues every single day of the week. If you have something you want fixed but can delay the need, then private is great because you can pick your own highly competent and specialist doctor and usually get a nice room with a slightly larger TV.

In Australia we are under significant pressure from the US owned pharmacolgy purveyors to release the low cost pharmacy ties that we currently hold onto. In other words, the BIG Pharmacy firms want to be able to prevent genericsfro keeping costs down and for every drig ever invented by the drug companies to be funcded by the taxpayer no matter what the charge.

And we may soon discover it is a debate we’ve already lost. Both private and public streams can be helpful - niether will ever be perfect but history has proven in other industries, when the private industry dominates, the profits don’t go back to the public, and that usually means more pain for those lacking resources.

In response to your question

In countries where there is government health care, are people generally happy with it, as the movie leads us to think? And if so, do those people also feel the same about their schools?

I think the situation in New Zealand is much like that recorded in Teemu’s response from Finland. Health care and educational provision are seen as human rights and are provided for by the government. Which doesn’t mean the system is without critics or paid for alternatives.

In terms of education we do have alternatives to state schools - and surprisingly some of these (the integrated schools) are government funded. As has happened between us on other moments shared Doug - I find that I have been reflecting upon a related issue at Artichoke.