The political philosophy of compassionate conservatism stresses that the policies of Republican politicians should be motivated by caring for people and the way to accomplish that is a free marketplace that improves the general welfare of society.
At Monday night’s Republican Tea Party debate, moderated by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, the lack of Republican compassion exposed itself front and center. And the question of whether a free market benefits society’s welfare was answered by Ron Paul.
Wolf Blitzer asked Paul a hypothetical question about a young man who elects not to purchase health insurance. The man has a medical crisis, goes into a coma and needs expensive care. “Who pays?”
Paul answered, “That’s what freedom is all about, taking your own risks.”
Interrupting the applause, Blitzer continued: “But Congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die?”
Paul said, no. He continued by saying when he was a physician at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, “We never turned anybody away from the hospital. We have given up on this whole concept that we might take care of ourselves, assume responsibility for ourselves … that’s the reason the cost is so high.” In Paul’s vision of America, neighbors, friends, and churches” should choose to assume the care of those who cannot pay for their healthcare, not government. Therefore, a free market does not benefit society’s welfare but the effort of volunteers in a free society.
Paul’s libertarian view is nothing new. He has previously expressed that view, and one must give Ron Paul credit for his consistency and honest answer. However, Santa Rosa Hospital is a Catholic faith-based, non-profit health care system, and, of course, one would not expect such an entity to turn anybody away. Moreover, as a physician, how he would actually know whether patients were turned away. As a physician, he is not necessarily privileged to that kind of information.
Hospitals by law are prohibited from dumping patients applying for care in their emergency rooms who cannot pay. However, the federal law applies to hospitals that participate in Medicare, and further care does depend on one’s ability to pay. The practice of “patient-dumping” was prevalent prior to the 1986 law and is the reason for the law. As with any law, a law is put into place because someone is abusing something, making it detrimental to the well being of society. In the case of healthcare, one would be naïve to think that the total well being of anyone would be undertaken by volunteers. There are those individuals and groups who would choose to assist — and do — but it would be inadequate to cover the needs of so many.
The philosophy that a free marketplace supposedly improves the general welfare of society and directly benefits the poor fails because the whole concept that we might take care of ourselves and assume responsibility for ourselves does not apply to all equally. There are those who very simply do not have the wherewithal to care for or to assume self-responsibility and there are too many in need for that task to be taken over voluntarily.
Ron Paul’s view is the Republican view. That’s why no other Republican jumped on the bandwagon to support or deny Paul’s view. It’s why Michelle Bachman, when asked the same question by Blitzer, circumvented her answer. A lack of compassion and understanding is why they want to dump the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” That’s why Rick Perry thinks Social Security is a “ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie,” and in the Republican heart of hearts they want to dump it, Medicare and Medicaid as well. The Republican and Tea Party lack of compassion for our nation’s most vulnerable is unconscionable.
Freedom is all about those who have the financial resources to do whatever they wish, but for everyone else it’s a mixed bag dependent on their financial capabilities or else it’s nonexistent. It’s a failure of Ron Paul, Republicans, the Tea Party and their supporters, to recognize that existential fact.
Paul Krugman in his article “Free to Die” says, “… lack of compassion has become a matter of principle, at least among the G.O.P.’s base. Are voters ready to embrace such a radical rejection of the kind of America we’ve all grown up in? I guess we’ll find out next year.”