My in-law relatives in the UK are proud of their system and are happy to pay for everybody else’s health care. They consider themselves better and more compassionate than Americans. They CARE about other people! That being said, there is no upward mobility in the UK. You are born into a social level and you stay there for your life. Or you move downward. When I was making peanuts, working as an unregistered tech in the NHS in the UK, my tax bite was 50%. Then again, their welfare system, On The Dole, robs their ‘middle class’ of any possibility of getting ahead. But remember.....THEY CARE. And they are quite proud of themselves because they obviously care about others more than we do.
I have the opportunity to talk with a lot of tourists from Europe and have found this to be the case in most countries. The socialists in this country really have no clue what they are asking for. It works completely opposite of how they think it does.
There has never been any true compassion in a socialist system, there is always cause and effect. And if welfare payments were taxed 50% as “income” before dispersal they would be screaming at the top of their lungs.
I do think it is hopeless (as well as not our business) to constantly attack the NHS. As you point out, it is their system and they are absolutely gaga over it. I guess you could compare it to our appreciation of Social Security.
I just do not want single payer here. I’m getting to an age that would have the death panels salivating!