I’m embarrassed that my lack of interaction with “principled” people is so obvious. As a current medical student, I think that all of my peers and professors fall under the “principled” category. My point wasn’t that healthcare should be a human right because education is considered such today; instead, I was arguing from the point of view that education is CLEARLY a human right, and the same reasoning that leads to that conclusion can and should be applied to healthcare.

I did find that website interesting. I also found the idea short-sighted. I think our current primary educational system is abismal, but that doesn’t mean I want to marginalize a substantial chunk of the population at all. And I’ve had just about enough of people citing the “founding principles” as some perfect theory…it’s religious fanaticism! If you seriously think that what a few people agreed upon almost 250 years ago accurately represents the best interests of our nation now, then you’re insane. I’m not saying they aren’t good ideas, but I trust you DO count freedom as a human right, and it wasn’t laud out as such in the original constitution, only for those who fit the proper criteria. If you’re unwilling to concede that nations aren’t subject to reform, then there’s nothing left to talk about: you’ll just continue yelling at shadows and preaching of the “olde order.”

You obviously haven’t been around principled people very long. I argue for the abolition of govt school practically every day.

You might find The Alliance for the Separation of School and State interesting: http://www.sepschool.org/

The author is correct in regard to health care not being a right, but the statements above illustrate why this argument comes up short.

Because the fact is that the State IS, in fact, denying health care to people as a result of its medical licensing laws, FDA regulations, drug war, insurance mandates, patents, and so on. And any argument that says that health care is not a right needs to point out that access to health care (on a voluntary basis) IS a right. And if it were recognized as such, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.