hard currency
Back to NWO’s email from two posts below. My responses:
Varangy-
You are right, of course. But this begs the question: when will you then come out and admit your frineds in FIDESZ`and your relatives are WRONG about the Hungarian medical system,
Now. They are wrong. That duly confessed, I understand why.
that the Government’s effort to reform the system perhaps poorly executed is correct in principle
‘Poorly executed’ is an understatement. In all seriousness, the current pathetic (but admittedly and desperately needed) attempts at healthcare reform by the Left are criminally irresponsible.
As far as principle goes, I as a hardened cynic, doubt very much that the Hun. Left have embraced free market principles in order to reform healthcare, rather than line their own pockets. BTW FIDESZ is not exempt from my observations in this regard. Remember, the modern Hun. Left who is ostensibly for classicly liberal free market solutions was COMMUNIST not so long ago. As you may recall, the Komcsik had radically different views, to say the least, about the roles of Markets and the State in society. And now you expect me to believe that the Hun. Left actually and in good conscience switched its entire philosophy in 1989/90 because it saw the fuckin’ light???
If it isn’t patently obvious to any even casual observer, a few smart komcsi saw the fall of communism coming a year or two out. They also saw a way to enrich themselves even more so than they had been doing all these years***. A little game we like to call faux-privatization.
The current healthcare reforms are nothing more than that.
and-most relevantly now- that he referendum calling for the abolition of the Dr visiting fees and the hospital fees are both deeply cynical as a political measure or even worse as a policy matter.
Right on both counts. First, FIDESZ pretends it doesn’t understand what moral hazard is, and how prices would enhance (almost non-existent) efficiency in healthcare delivery. Second, the referendum also serves to mindlessly skewer the Hun. Left from the contraposite position.
I should note, however, just as seniors are allowed free public transportation, they should also not be forced to pay the new hospital/visit fees — after all, they have spent the last 40 odd years paying into them as slaves of the Hungarian State.
But do not forget, these healthcare reforms will provide a pretty fillér for many high-ups among the Hungarian Left.
By now, you should all see how brutally conflicted I am on this matter.
Until Hungarian politicans and the public are ready to embrace individual responsibility and renounce the role of the State in all aspects of life, there really is not much hope for this country.
NWO
I agree. But I don’t see it happening in Hungary. Ever. Nor in the rest of Europe for that matter. Look at this previous post of mine for a flavor of the future.
***For the naive and uninformed, a classic Commie trick to make, litera-fuckin’-lly, millions in hard currency (dollars, deutschmarks, or austrian schillings) during the 60s, 70s and 80s, was for a couple of the party members to go shopping for, say, plastic injection molding and fabricating machines for one of the State-owned concerns. Normally, these machines ran around, oh I dunno, 500,000 D-Marks. Our little aparatchik buddies would then cut a deal with the German salesman. Sell us these machines and give us a bill for 3 million d-marks a pop and you kickback 1 million per machine for our Swiss bank accounts.
Who wouldn’t go for it?
BTW shit like this is so common and accepted today, that it is expected. I recommended a provider of some products and services I knew to a friend/business acquaintance of mine —- and I could have collected from both ends! But I stupidly didn’t.
