Universal health care has serious flaws

Christina Jelly’s column “”America’s free-market fanaticism warps health care system”” (Thursday) fails to mention a key flaw in European-style universal health care systems: people wait a long time just to see a doctor and get treatment. This key flaw is what makes universal health care undesirable because people need treatment to be available immediately, not in six months or even a year. For example, Canadian citizens come to the U.S. to get treatment due to the backlog of patients north of the border. Also, universal health care results in higher taxes for everyone.

Sure, health care needs reform. However, having the government take over the health care system is awful. Demand should be determined by the market, not by government bureaucrats. People go into medicine not only to help people, but to make money. Innovation just doesn’t happen in the medical field without profit. There are many ideas on how to fix health care without the government taking over the health care system, and I believe ideas that encourage more price competition in the health care industry will help others lower their health care costs while allowing innovation to occur.

Sure, this idea does have flaws, but I think any idea short of government-run health care is worth considering.

Jonathan Yeh
engineering sophomore

Home ownership an important financial step

There are several flaws in Alyson Hill’s column “”Do you really want to own a house?”” (Thursday). The idea of owning a house signifying success and maturity seems a little blurred with her given explanations.

The idea that living within close proximity to others is inferior and that everyone strives to have a house with a yard and a white picket fence seems archaic. In 2006, 15 percent of all home sales in Tucson were from condos or townhomes (so-called close proximity living). With some of those homes being sold for upwards of $800,000, it hardly seems like an inferior lifestyle.

Her other argument is that there are “”tens of thousands of dollars of debt you’ll acquire by purchasing a home if you’re not filthy rich to begin with.”” This goes against the fundamental foundations of a real estate purchase. Not only does the home represent family and individuality, it is one of the best investments an individual can make. For example, the average sales price in Tucson last month was approximate $273,932. This is more than a 100 percent increase from 1998! This means that most homeowners actually gain enormous amounts of equity, instead of going into debt.

It’s perfectly OK to fantasize about the American dream as long as we are careful in how we go about obtaining it. To lie about how much we make to obtain a loan is recklessly irresponsible. Most of the blame can be pointed at financial institutions that encourage it, but as adults we must also shoulder some of the burden. We must be able to make mature and responsible decisions that are honest in nature, and we should be able to discern people who operate their business ethically from those who are in it to make a quick buck. As college students and future graduates, I certainly hope that we are able to make better, more educated decisions.

Hayden Ho Huynh
psychology senior

International news more important than where to poop

I just read an article in the Daily Wildcat about where students defecate. It bothered me a little that, after reading an article in The New York Times about Iran that said “”either approach would signal a more confrontational posture by declaring a part of the Iranian military a terrorist operation”” (which has the smell of war all over, by the way), our daily paper is concerned about where students defecate. I understand football is more important than a war for most of us, because, luckily, most of us do not have to worry about a brother or sister losing his or her life in Iraq. Therefore, it is understandable that Washington State (the football team) is more important than Iran, because if the football team loses, the chances of getting a bowl game would diminish by a lot and that would be a tragedy.

I am not saying let’s turn the Daily Wildcat into a political newspaper. I realize it is just an entertainment tool, but how about a little more consideration for the thousands of people who have lost their lives in Iraq? Maybe if we pay attention this time, the same will not happen in Iran. I think that whether the UA loses or wins this coming weekend or how many people are playing “”Halo 3″” is enough entertainment. I know this is a crazy idea but how about putting the International briefs on page 3 and “”where people crap”” somewhere in the middle. Under Fashion Facts, maybe.

Carlos Hidalgo
pre-physiology junior

UA drinking ‘crackdown’ arbitrary

The UA’s ruthless tactics towards drinking are embarrassing and appalling. Fraternities and dormitories have become the focal point of this crackdown, which seems like an arbitrary attempt to make an example out of fraternities. The university cannot confiscate your fraternity’s house, nor can it regulate the activities of the fraternity brothers. It can merely prevent them from reserving rooms on campus. How Draconian. I will not waste time ridiculing this administration’s attempt at heavy-handedness.

By kicking a fraternity off campus, the university has given tacit permission to the current members to behave with impunity; it has foregone all attempts at regulation and moderation. Should these fraternities continue to flourish (and I have no doubt in my mind that they will), it is foreseeable that other fraternities and sororities will choose to similarly dissociate from campus and reap the benefits of acting without any formal regulations – and the university will have no one to blame but itself, for the situation will be one of its own making.

Yoni Messing
undeclared freshman