In The Constitution of Liberty, Hayek argues against a "free" universal state health care system:
Cheers, k hanly
Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html
--- On Mon, 10/5/09, Michael Pollak <mpollak at panix.com> wrote:
> From: Michael Pollak <mpollak at panix.com>
> Subject: [lbo-talk] Friedrich Hayek on National Health Care
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Date: Monday, October 5, 2009, 4:00 AM
>
> 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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>