I'm not clear on the difference between right and privilege as you are using them. Perhaps you could explain this point, as it seems to be one of the fundamental differences in the opposing positions expressed here. Many debates fail to find common ground until such a misunderstanding is cleared up.
First, you need to understand where I'm coming from, and truth be told, there's a little idealism in it, although it's a good thing.
Americans (myself included, until the last few years) have always looked upon higher education and good health care as a privilege of people who have earned it. I now disagree. I'm for the death penalty, which gives the government the right to end a life; conversely, I'm also for basic rights of the people as well, and I'm not talking about legal rights. I'm talking
basic HUMAN rights. Why can the government take away lives for those law-breaking citizens who deserve to die and not give basic humane care to its own law-abiding citizens who deserve to live a healthy life?
Many Americans think that everyone in Europe has the exact same health care, regardless of income, which couldn't be further from the truth, at least here in Italy. There is a basic government-funded health care program for those who cannot afford or do not wish to purchase privatized health care. Yes, Americans, WE HAVE PRIVATIZED HEALTH CARE HERE, TOO!!! The only difference is that the waiting period is just a bit shorter and you pay more with privatized health care. If you have a heart attack, break your leg, or have to have surgery, you can either have your own private doctor that you wish to pay for or you can have the socialized medical care, for which you still pay, but its a very small fee. There's no difference in health care coverage, just things like smaller waiting periods. The quality of care is no different than the US, and in some instances it's even BETTER here.
It's not like you're going to some shaman out in the woods to scare away the evil spirits if you have the socialized health care. I'm not saying that the US should do away with privatized health care, but that Americans should be given a choice whether to pay $500 a month for insurance for a family of four under privatized or pay a much smaller fee under the socialized system, which, by the way, you only pay when you need to go to the doctor.
Education. I'd like to know who decided that only the middle-class to upper-class get to go to college. Sure, we have scholarships in the US, but what if you were a C student in high school and you want to further your education, yet aren't good enough to get a scholarship? Just because you don't have enough money or you didn't have a great four years in high school shouldn't prevent you from at least trying to further your education. Don't even bring up grants and stuff...we're not talking charity...we're talking human rights.
I never thought it was shocking until a friend put it in perspective here. He asked me if it was really true that Americans join the military just so they can get an education and go to college. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WAR JUST SO THEY CAN HAVE SOME MONEY FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO LEARN SOMETHING. That is utterly despicable that a nation as "great" as the US doesn't have some sort of system to send those who want to go to university to university, ESPECIALLY with the money universities make. Of course there must be checks and balances, and we're not talking Harvard or Cambridge educated people. We're just talking average joes who want to go to an average university and get an education. If they want to become world-reknown physicists, then there are programs for that as well, aside from a socialized education system. But to REFUSE entry to someone who wants to further themselves simply because they didn't do that great in high school or because they don't have the money is irresponsible.
Here, the middle class and above must pay something like 1000 euros per year in taxes to go to college. If your family's salary is less than a certain amount annually, it's free. But what's more, it's not just here...in fact, the education system in Italy is behind a few others in Europe, yet still light years ahead of the US, even in high school. Have you ever seen a European foreign exchange student flunk out of high school in the US? I'd wager no.
