No one can earn
a million dollars honestly.
William
Jennings
Bryan, 1860 – 1925,
an
American lawyer, statesman, and politician, three times the Democratic
Party nominee for President of the United States.
The decadent
international but individualistic capitalism in the hands of which we found
ourselves after the war is not a success. It is not intelligent. It is not
beautiful. It is not just. It is not virtuous. And it doesn't deliver the
goods.
-----
Capitalism is the
astounding belief that the most wickedest [sic] of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of
everyone.
John Maynard
Keynes, 1883 – 1946,
a British
economist whose ideas, called Keynesian economics, had a
major impact
on modern economic and political theory, as well as on
many
governments’ fiscal policies.
So far, we have noted many deficiencies in the
capitalism which we practice. The
purpose behind such a look is to encourage thought and
action about how to make capitalism work better.
So we look at more deficiencies.
The problem arising from the clash of values between
capitalism and health care is profound, and examples abound.
Below, a physician writes about the problem.
The Corrosion of
Medicine
Can the
Profession Reclaim its Moral Legacy?
by John Geyman, M.D.
Medicine can no
longer deny the extent to which unbridled self-interest has eroded its
professionalism. As documented in earlier chapters, these excesses are
pervasive throughout the profession, for all to see, involving patient care,
education and research as well as academic medical centers and many of the
profession's organizations. The
extent of deprofessionalization makes clear that the cause extends well
beyond a few "bad apples." If medicine is to restore its
professionalism, the profession must accept responsibility for letting down
the public trust, recommit itself to service over self-interest, and
build effective mechanisms of self-regulation which can gain the public's
confidence.
Whether medicine
will give up its customary defensive mode and respond positively to its
moral and professional challenges is an open question. Despite its long
struggle to maintain its independence, the profession has lost much of its
autonomy as it
increasingly
serves corporate interests. In a more proactive stance, medicine may
recognize a larger role of government as a potential force to support the
context within which it can restore its professionalism. Business as usual
will not serve the profession or
the public well.
The profession now has a window of opportunity to expand its vision and lead
toward better health care for all Americans. To do so, it must involve
itself with rebuilding the capability of public health and with advocacy for
real health care reform, which leads us to the last chapters.
http://www.commoncouragepress.com/index.cfm?action=book&bookid=384
March 13, 2008