Universal Health Care Argument Rough Draft

“When they favor the access of other people to education and health care, the countries of the North not only demonstrate generosity or solidarity, but also implement the principles of respecting and promoting human rights.” Omar Bongo, former President of Gabon


At some point in American history it was decided that if a person’s house were to catch fire it was an obligation of the state to douse it regardless of whether or not that person had any money to give in return, instead the people of the nation would all pay their share to keep a socialized fire department in place. Similarly, it was also decided that if a crime was committed against someone the police would assist regardless of the individual’s wealth, for how can there be justice in our nation if it only exists for the rich? So why is it still that in America if someone falls ill it can bankrupt them? Just as various sectors have already been publicized for the greater benefit of our nation, it is now time for health care to become universal.

To many this is a radical idea, one that could only be conceivable in a communist dystopia, but that is simply not the case. Many may be surprised to hear, but steps towards universal healthcare have already been taken decades ago and continue to be done. The incredibly effective Medicare and Medicaid programs are in essence socialized healthcare. Roughly 120 million American Citizens currently or recently were enrolled in these programs. The vast majority of these people are elderly, sick, disabled, and/or impoverished. Although these programs are steps in the right direction they are not enough. Even those who implemented many of America’s current health care programs such as Lyndon B Johnson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Barack Obama have shown support for the eventual adoption of universal healthcare and it is with no surprise. The only surprising thing is that the US is one of the only major countries to have not yet instituted universal healthcare.

When it comes to economics many may disagree over which system is the superior one but in terms of morality there is little room to dissent on the statement that Universal Health Care is by far the most moral health care system. To tie the health of an American citizen to his or her income is inherently immoral, to have the wealthy few favored while the impoverished many scorned is an unjust system that a government which is said to be by the people, for the people should have no business in supporting. A common argument is that collecting taxes to pay for a health care program is by nature immoral since enforced taxation is no different from thievery. There is merit to this claim but by its logic all taxation by which the government operates on is inherently immoral and should be ceased immediately, resulting in the complete elimination of the American Government. Although this stance on universal health care is a valid one to take it is not one that can be held without also favoring for an entire government shutdown indefinitely, which is sure to do far more damage than benefit. Others may argue that taxation itself is fine but taxation in order to support entitlement programs for those deemed unworthy, or freeloaders, should not be allowed. But once again if this logic is to be continued that would mean other programs such as public schools, the fire department, and the police should all be discontinued. If a 6 year old hasn’t contributed to society then why should we have to pay taxes to send him to first grade?

Some may argue that universal health care is inherently inferior to privatized health care, without the competition of the free market doctors will provide subpar treatments and raise prices. In theory this makes sense but in practice it is proved wrong. Countries such as Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Norway, and many more all have socialized there health care to a high degree and consistently score at the top of every conceivable health care rating. On the contrary the US consistently scores near or at the bottom of health care rankings for major countries. How can this be? As Bill Frist said, “America has the best doctors, the best nurses, the best hospitals, the best medical technology, [and] the best medical breakthrough medicines in the world. There is absolutely no reason we should not have in this country the best health care in the world.” It defies all logic that even despite the US’ clear advantage in nearly all medical resources that we do not have the best health care in the world. So what is the disconnect that occurs between having the best resources yet some of the worst results? It all comes down to our government’s allowance of private companies to seek profit even at the expense of the American citizen. Currently the cost of health care per capita in the US is 8,508$, while the cost of better ranking countries ranges from 3,500-5,500$. Despite our lower health care quality and lower health care enrollment rates we still expend far more money than any other nation. So where does this excess money reside since it is obviously not being committed to the actual provision of health care. Quite simply it goes to company executives, advertisements, and various other unnecessary expenditures. It may seem counterintuitive but allowing for the health care market to be privatized does not drive down costs for the consumer but instead drives them up. Private companies will first and foremost work to secure their own profits, they will charge as much as possible to the consumer. If every health care company decides to charge more than necessary to increase profits for themselves there is little in place to stop them. This is exactly what is happening now in our current system, leading to billions being wasted every year. If not for the Affordable Care Act mandating that 80% of all money held by health insurance companies be committed to the provision of health care even more would be wasted. As is, health insurance companies straddle the 80% line as closely as possible, often passing below it effectively through the use of loopholes and inefficient bureaucracy networks. Even though some restraints have been placed on insurance providers by the government, the same has not been true for other health care industries such as the pharmaceuticals. In pharmaceutical companies and average of 15-20% of all funds is spent towards research and development of drugs, while the remainder goes towards lining the pockets of executives and self-promotion of the company. In essence this means only 1/5 of the entire pharmaceutical market goes towards the actual provision of pharmaceutics. So much for a free market bringing down costs. In a universal system practically all funds of pharmaceutical industries go towards the provision of pharmaceutics since there is no need to advertise a company when there is no competition nor is there a need to pay or employ executives when they do not exist. This is what the majority of other major countries have done and it has worked.

Maybe it is just coincidence that the implementation of universal health care has worked so well in other countries. Perhaps doing the same in America would even end up being more expensive. An analysis by Gerald Friedman, Economics Professor at the University of Massachusetts, determined that implementing a universal health care system would add 15 trillion dollars of expenditure to the government over the course of 10 years, or about 1.5 trillion per year. This is completely true, incorporating universal health care would raise government expenditure by about 15 trillion over the course of ten years, but what many forget to mention when citing such a statistic is that it will save over 5 trillion net dollars in the same amount of time, enough to eliminate all government deficit. You see even though more money is being spent by the government in order to support a universal system, less money is being spent overall. It is predicted that over the course of the next 10 years an average of 20 trillion dollars will be spent in the public sector for programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, while in the private sector another 20 trillion will be spent. This results in a net of 40 trillion net for our current health care system. Now looking back to the Universal system, a total of 15 trillion will be added to the public sector but all private sector expenditures will be eliminated, meaning the net will end up as 35 trillion, 5 trillion less than the privatized system, all while insuring absolutely every American citizens in comparison to the only 88.1% that are insured currently. There is no doubt that a Universal system is more cost effective.


Conclusion not finished.

Essay 3 Bibliography In Class Lab

http://www.amsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/CaseForUHC.pdf

Chua, Kao-Ping. "The Moral Case for Universal Health Care". American Medical Student Association. American Medical Student Association. Web Mar. 2015.

In an online article, the American Medical Student Association states, "Currently, more than 45 million Americans lack any form of health insurance, and millions more are “under insured”"
(Quotation from an online magazine with no page numbers.)


http://www.jci.org/articles/view/42964

Turka, Laurence A., and Caplan, Arthur L. "The Right to Health Care". The American Society for Clinical Investigation. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Web 19 Mar. 2010.

In Laurence A. Turka's paper published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, he indicates that the cost of forcing the uninsured to avoid medical consultation until their ailment progresses to a dangerous degree ultimately costs society more than having presentable diseases be stopped early on. (Paraphrase from an online magazine with no page number.)



http://www.amazon.com/What-Social-Classes-Each-Other/dp/1605977187/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1447987205&sr=1-3&keywords=what+social+classes+owe+each+other

Sumner, William Graham. What Social Classes Owe to Each Other. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1911. Print.

According to William Grahams Sumner, a past sociology professor at Yale University, “We shall find that every effort to realize equality necessitates a sacrifice of liberty.” (32) In his Book What Social Classes Owe to Each Other, Sumner tells us, “Liberty is an affair of laws and institutions which bring rights and duties into equilibrium. It is not at all an affair of selecting the proper class to rule.” (12).

In Class Lab 11/19

Both of our articles and Spriggs made their positions clear not only in the introduction but also in the conclusion. The writers of our articles determined the importance of the argument by invocating Paris attacks and 9/11, while Spriggs instead invoked what could happen. Our articles also explicitly state their positions when they explain how they believe that taking certain steps will help prevent terrorism. Spriggs used anecdotal evidence more than our articles, citing her families farmer friend. She also responded to varying views more often, such as how buying local can have negative environmental effects. All of them mentioned articles and statistics from other reputable news sources in order to support their stance, such as Spriggs citation of CNN. Spriggs first paragraph talks about how Americans can eat fruit that naturally would not be in season which by turn of causes consequences to local farms and the worldwide environment, our other articles acted similarly for their own stances, one of them claiming that lax gun control laws contribute to hundreds of deaths every year. Spriggs was also better at showing how things have changed over time, such as how the number of cows a farm milks has increased drastically from industrialized farms, something that other articles mostly neglected, instead focusing on more recent times. Sprigss also appealed to the values of the readers by citing how local farms create 10% more jobs than large ones, our articles appealed to the viewers values by mentioning the expensive toll of the Iraq and Afghanistan war, in terms of life and wealth.  The author of our articles also uses the ignorance of the general public concerning the word "terrorism" to springboard his own stance and condescension towards detractors in opinion to develop a tone of authority while Spriggs developed a tone of authority through proving her competence, not by capitalizing on condescension.

Pg 80

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/18/terrorism-gun-control-immigration-refugee

Pg. 100 Questions

1. It is clear the topic matters to Katherine Spriggs and she has done a good job at convincing me that it matters through use of statistics and logic. Spriggs establishes the importance of her topic through tying it to things such as global warming and local economies that most readers will find very important.
2. She considers the view that food she bought from where it best grows because it saves time and energy and she agrees that is true in some cases but that people should strive to buy as much food locally before buying food from elsewhere.
3. When Spriggs says "If strawberries were sold only in the summer, they would be more specfial and we might even enjoy them more," her argument is rather ineffective because it has no real support or logic to it. Whether or not we would enjoy them more or see them as more special is completely subjective, the best evidence she could provide for this would be anecdotal.
4. For example, the two pictures that feature a poly culture and mono culture farm, respectively, do a good job at contrasting the two styles. While the mono culture farm appears lifeless and boring the poly culture farm has people outside and a close up of the crops, making it far more interesting and casting poly culture as a much more humane and relate-able system.

Pg. 70 Question

Recently in my English 101 class I was required to write an essay the analyses 3 ads. The motivation for writing and my position are made very clear. In the introduction I have a well defined thesis that outlines the message of the essay. This thesis is then supported and reiterated throughout the rest of the essay. Finally in the conclusion I once again restate the thesis to make clear what motivates writing and my position.

Yes We Can Blog Post

Taking snippets of Obama's Yes We Can speech and having them repeated and sang not only brought them back to the watchers mind multiple times during the video, but even after the video finishes the messages replay in the form of a catchy song. Written words like "Hope" and "Yes we Can" helped to solidify the message the video was sending. The black and white color scheme added to the atmosphere and the addition of more people singing as the video goes on contributed to the theme of people coming together to complete their goals.

Argument Topic Ideas

Whether or not Universal Health Care should be incorporated into America

Which candidate should become president

Whether or not free college should be incorporated into America

Whether or not women should be banned from certain US military combat roles

Whether or not women should have stricter or looser physical tests for joining the military

Two Sisters Tragedy In Class Lab Summary

From the video about the Two Sister Tragic, it had an emotional appeal because in the first line it established that the video was about grief. Secondly, they establish an emotional aspect to it they always have the parents “red-faced” with tears with the dog and with clips from their childhood. This video also had a logical appeal because the bottom line is that drunk driving kills and promotes driving lessons and they provide free transportation to insure safe driving throughout teenagers. This video showed ethos through the use of the video clips of their childhood to show that these people are just average and normal people, and that this can happen to anyone.

Two Sisters Tragic Story Summary and Analysis

In the video the Parents of Shauna and Megan Murphy detail the tragedy that happened to their daughters. They explain that they had gone to a party and gotten drunk, afterwards deciding to drive while incapacitated. The two sisters and their friend got into a car crash, only the friend survived. Finally they promote their organization that gives free rides to drunk people in order to promote safe driving.

This video was designed with the purpose of persuading watchers to never drink and drive and to also make sure their family and friends do the same. The video mostly utilizes Pathos in order to sway the hearts of the watchers. Some examples are how the parents are always on the verge of tears, a sad looking dog sits between the two parents, the only survivor appearing regretful, and dramatic black and white transitions. Ethos is also used to make the two sisters seem more real to the watchers, making their story seem like it can happen to even the average person. Ethos is built through anecdotes on the sisters, home videos of them as children, and photographs of them not long before the crash. All of these make the sisters seem like people you could have known, making the tragedy seem like it could happen to you and those around you. Some Logos was also included at the end when  describing their company. They explained that it gave free rides, no questions asked, in order to keep drunk people from driving and putting people's lives in danger.

In Class Analysis 11/9

Thesis: Advertisements generally strive to bring groups of people to consensus, appealing strongly to their emotions.
Peace Symbol Analysis.
The overall statement of both buttons is to reject war, and provide support for peaceful means of reaching agreement.
They make their statement through visual representation.
Left Button
· The “melty” font of the statement creates the allusion of a melting heart, or one open to suggestions.
· The circular peace symbol could represent the world, further explaining the buttons point for world peace. The outside ring is circular, meaning that it has no endpoints. This can be related to an eternity symbol.
Right Button
· The peace symbol stands out against the black background. Putting down any thoughts of war.
· The bold font makes their statement more prominent and credible.


Symbols of Patriotism
Eagle
· The bald eagle is the nation’s national mascot.
· The flag coupled with the eagle creates an even greater plea for patriotism. Seeing that the flag has been known to represent our country for ages. It an added sense of loyalty and pride.
· The piercing eye is ever watchful. In protecting its citizens and holding them accountable for their loyalty.
Bulldog
· The English bulldog is Great Britain’s National mascot.
· The dog standing on the flag is expressing protection.
· Seems larger than its surroundings making it a more dominant force in the world..
French Wall
· It’s the national motto of France.
· Set in stone.
· Camera gives the effect that they are watching over their people and keeping an eye on other countries.
· The parallel line create a feeling of steadiness and reliability.
· Brotherhood sets the image that they are all equal.

Reading Sources Critically

The argument the author makes is that white people cannot say the n-word. He uses examples of how other races i.e. jewish comedians may use “derogatory” jokes about themselves but if someone whom was not of that culture made those jokes they would be considered racist towards that particular community.



I find the argument to be quite persuasive. The arguments he makes are very clear; you can talk about your people, but no one else should. essentially saying jokes towards your group doesn't necessarily mean that other people from outside your group can make the same jokes toward your group.



The author’s stance is mainly towards common group relations and the use of certain language and speech toward other groups. Author also acknowledged rednecks and jewish people and the humor related to those two groups and how they can be considered offensive if miss used.



The publisher brings the stance of cultural diversity to the college at which he is presenting (Boston College.)



I do recognize the idea that you shouldn’t joke about a community that you’re not a part of. If you aren’t Jewish, you shouldn’t make Jewish jokes, etc.



This source supports my position because I personally feel that if you aren’t part of that community, or have not been personally slighted, then you have no right to try to reclaim words that have been used as slurs.


I can tell that the intended audience are those of different cultural backgrounds other than those of the African American community, and the purpose is to bring awareness of the cultural diversity and etiquette.

Pg. 66 Lab

This ad appeals to me because it makes its point through provoking thought instead of explicitly stating its position. This gun control ad states "One child is holding something that's been banned in America to protect them. Guess which one." The purpose of of the text is to make people immediately assume it is the gun that  has been banned since it  is clearly more dangerous than the dodge ball, but after thinking thinking they will realize it is the other way around and question why that is. The shocking image of a child holding a gun draws the eyes to the image and encourages people to give attention to it. The high contrast of the children's clothes in comparison to the drab background brings attention to them and the green on the left and orange on the right gives of a sense of duality just like the argument for or against gun control. If I were to revise it for an audience of academics I would incorporate statistics in order to give supported logic to the ad. If I were to revise it for a video format, I would narrate the text instead of having it on the screen and I would add a slight amount of motion to the ad to keep peoples eyes focused on it.

"Guess Which One," Moms Demand Action, 15 Apr.
       2013. JPEG File. Web. 5 Nov. 2015.


This ad is appealing because it uses repetition of a powerful sentence to get a point across. The prominent gun in the center draws the eyes and the constitution behind it gives credibility to the ad, if the audience is american using the constitution to back up your argument will be very effective. Having We the People in large text in the upper left also has a powerful effect. The use of red text after 4 lines of white text helps to bring attention back to the thesis of the ad, which is gun rights shall not be infringed. The final line is also very powerful because it directly challenges any dissent among the audience. If this ad were for an audience of mothers I would make it less insulting and not feature a threatening looking gun in the center. If this were in video format I would have close up shots of the 2nd amendment, highlighting "shall not be infringed."

Farnan, Ed. "Shall not infringe." Downing Post News,
      15 Apr. 2013. JPEG File. Web. 5 Nov. 2015



This Star Wars Meme was on Facebook as a meme about politics. I chose it because I found it interesting as it depicts the differing perceptions of those involved in the political process. The meme is appealing because it presented the topic of politics in a humorous way. It uses characters from the Star Wars franchise to make the point of the way in which individuals on differing sides of the issues perceive each other as it relates to their political candidate positions. The meme uses familiar characters from the franchise and uses their most associated characteristics to relate to the audience the point of how they may be being perceived. The third point of view that is addressed is how those whom are not directly involved in the political discussions that may be taking an outside perspective may see the issue. This is the view that is being communicated by the use of the characters from the franchise. The use of fictional characters allows the reader to to take the outside viewers perspective that the author is attempting to communicate.



Tommiesmonkies. How you See Your Candidate. September 2015. imgur


The quote about the differences between love and like to illustrate a particular perspective by
the author of the image was appealing because it uses an image to illustrate the understanding
of the the meaning between the differences based on the quote. The poster itself uses the image of the watering of a flower such as referred to in the quote by the Buddha. I like how the author of the
image used a quote from someone who explained it clearly them self as opposed to simply stating it them self. The quote is also from a well known figure. I would have made the artwork or image of the flower being watered show a little more by adding a little color to the flower that is being watered. In this way it would show more effectively the underlying meaning of how "love" nurtures what is loved as opposed to the mere collecting of the object that is liked.


The Mind Unleashed. The Difference Between Like and Love. 6 August 2015. Facebook.

Pg. 62 Post

Myself

During political discussions

Talking about which game is the best

Talking about opinions on other people

Deciding which foods to eat

Deciding which way to take to school

When writing an essay

When siding with someone in an argument

Talking about which song is better

Talking about which movie is better

Talking about which TV show is better

When deciding how to spend money

During a discussion about what the project group will do

Others

When others take a political position

When others talk about which media item is the best

When others talk about their opinions on people

When defending their point of view

When deciding the best way to spend money

When discussing what a group should do

Peer Paper #2 Review

In Response to Clifford’s Analysis

1. The opening captures the audience attention by stating the earth’s resources have been decreasing and by mentioning environmental movements we have all heard of.

2. The subject description meets what is necessary and occasionally excels past it.

3. From what I can tell the targets of the ads are the American people in general.

4. The point of the essay, which is we should all work to save the environment, is somewhat unclear in the beginning but is well defined in the conclusion

5. The evidence provided is sufficient, the analysis makes ample use of historical evidence and logical arguments.

6. The sources listed, such as “Maine Woods”, seem credible enough.

7. Other perspectives are occasionally considered

8. The tone seems to be a positive call to action, accurately conveying the stance that we should work to save the environment.

9. The analysis seems to be effectively designed, the images are clear and the body paragraphs analyze them well.

10. The analysis is organized decently but the transitions are sometimes lacking.

11. The style is appropriate

12. The conclusion is well done and fits fluidly into the analysis

13. The title states clearly what the analysis is about and the portion of the title in parenthesis, “Trendy or True?” does well to draw in readers.

Response to Joshua Rentz’s Analysis

1. There is no clear question for the analysis, although one is not necessary for its subject

2. The opening captures the audience’s attention by beginning with an anecdote. Next it defines the analysis’ stance on the environment and makes clear what it will center on.

3. The subject is described in sufficient detail.

4. The insights on the ads are stated explicitly and are well supported and completely acceptable.

5. The point of the analysis is clear, that we should attempt to conserve the environment, and is stated in the introduction.

6. The evidence provided is good. The use of historical context, statistics, and logical arguments give strong support to the essays claims.

7. URL’s and the advertisements themselves are included and seem to be credible.

8. Other perspectives are not directly stated although the analysis does seem to imply them.

9. The tone seems mostly neutral with a slight bias towards positive or a call to action. It does well to convey the stance.

10. The design of the analysis is effective although the images themselves should be moved next to the body paragraphs that analyze them.

11. The style is semi-casual. It is somewhat appropriate but it could stand to be more formal to better fit the subject.

12. The conclusion is somewhat sparse currently.

13. The title makes it clear that the analysis will revolve around a subject that will affect the future but it does not explicitly state what that subject

Taking Stock Essay 2

1. To analyze the ads I examined each line of text to try to discern the reason the advertisers included them, how do they persuade the audience?. I used a similar process for the images although I examined colors and positions of the subjects instead of text.
2. I began drafting my essay by writing down everything I could examine from the three ads. Next I wrote a general thesis for which my essay would center around. After that I began to string together all the observations into coherent paragraphs. Finally I made the introduction, conclusion, and smoothed the transitions.
3. I feel my analysis was decently organized. To improve it I could make my thesis more prominent in the introduction and also improve the overall transitions within the analysis.
4. I believe I provided sufficient evidence, although most of it was based on logic so I may include historical documents to support the assumptions.
5. I believe my overall examinations of the advertisements was well done.
6. I could improve my Introduction greatly and also my transitions.
7. My visuals were the ads, they added quite a bit because they were what most of my writing was on.
8. The reader responses made it apparent my introduction and title need to be reworked
9. Next time I would choose ads with a bit more scope because writing almost entirely on race for the analysis probably began to bore my readers.
10. Overall I am pleased with my analysis, I don't particularly want to pursue any other soap ads but I might consider reading more of Rudyard Kipling's works to better understand the perspective of the time.
11. The analyzing skills I gained from this assignment will be very useful in future jobs and the entirety of my academic career. The technical writing skills gained will be useful in the same areas.