[lbo-talk] Friedrich Hayek on National Health Care

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Mon Oct 5 01:00:19 PDT 2009


http://generalissimo.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/you-know-that-the-word-has-become-meaningless-when/

<begin David Ogles blog excerpt>

One of the major influences [Ron Paul] cited as the basis for his

libertarian philosophy was Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek's book

_The Road To Serfdom_, which essentially is to socialism what Noam

Chomsky's work is to capitalism.

Which is why I found it quite surprising when I stumbled upon this

passage in the book (emphasis mine):

Nor is there any reason why the state should not assist the

individuals in providing for those common hazards of life against

which, because of their uncertainty, few individuals can make

adequate provision. Where, as in the case of sickness and accident,

neither the desire to avoid such calamities nor the efforts to

overcome their consequences are as a rule weakened by the provision

of assistance - where, in short, we deal with genuinely insurable

risks - *the case for the state's helping to organize a comprehensive

system of social insurance is very strong*...

...Wherever communal action can mitigate disasters against which the

individual can neither attempt to guard himself nor make the

provision for the consequences, *such communal action should

undoubtedly be taken.*

Friedrich Hayek, The Road To Serfdom (Chapter 9)

<end blogcerpt>

Michael



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