IN THEORY:

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reportedly says universal health care is a moral imperative, while Rudolph Giuliani says this is just socialization of medicine and that reform should come by way of a market-based solution.

What do you think? Is universal health care a moral imperative? Or should it be based on the free market?

Judaism teaches us that we all have a clear moral responsibility for one another’s welfare. This obligation to help the needy extends to the monetary, spiritual, emotional and of course, medical realms. In today’s day and age, anybody without proper medical insurance is definitely considered to be in need, and his or her predicament essentially becomes everyone’s problem.

While I appreciate Giuliani’s market-oriented stance on this matter, the fact remains that there are tens of millions of Americans — many of them children — for whom comprehensive health care is simply out of reach. In most circumstances, I tend to believe that it’s a good idea to let the free market work its magic; but with health care, it is frightening to think that while this magic is formulating, millions of people will remain at serious risk of sickness or even, God forbid, death. It is terribly wrong to play Russian roulette with the lives of so many people.

I do feel that universal health care is a moral obligation, and that it’s imperative for our leaders to put forward a thorough, all-inclusive plan for all Americans who need coverage. However, I would caution those working on any plan to be very careful when structuring a universal strategy to ensure that health care in this country does not decline any further, as often happens in countries that provide universal insurance.

Hopefully, by combining our common-sense experience with our instincts for compassion, we’ll soon be able to offer our nation’s first-rate medical care to all who need it.

Chabad Jewish Center

While the term “moral imperative” may be a bit of a stretch, I do believe it’s about time this great country had health care for all.

We always hear, “We’re Number One!” and “We’re the Best!” Well, if we are the best, isn’t it about time that the first country to put a man on the moon also had a health care system for all? Opponents yell, “Socialized medicine!” the same way others used to yell, “Communist plot!” Whether it is indeed socialized medicine or something else, it’s time we joined the other industrialized nations and took care of all our people.

For a candidate to say that he or she prefers a market-based solution is to hide behind the fact that he or she doesn’t plan to do anything to change the status quo.

All the leading Democrats in the race for the White House have put forth a health-care plan, and Mitt Romney achieved such a plan for everybody in his state while he was the GOP governor of Massachusetts.

Why don’t he and the other Republicans come up with their respective plans? What health-care system we have now is broken and needs fixing, and a majority of the population agrees. And remember: In a democracy, the majority rules!

Congregational Church of the Lighted Window

United Church of Christ

La Cañada Flintridge

I do believe that if we can give health care to everyone, then we should give health care to everyone, but what will be the quality of care that everyone could expect to receive?

I know that my taxes go to pay for socialized education, but if I want my kids in parochial school, I find that I have to pay for both. Is that right? And why should I even desire to put my kids in other than public schools, except that classrooms are overfilled, violence is a problem and indoctrination into political correctness rules the day?

Currently I pay an arm and a leg for medical insurance, but why is it so ridiculously high? Is it not partly to recoup financial losses from the millions who either choose not to insure or haven’t the means, who still receive care?

If medicine were socialized, would I then again be obliged to pay double as I am taxed for my neighbor’s care, and then again if I actually choose my own physician with a waiting room, rather than a waiting hall where I stand in line and take a ticket to see Dr. Crapshoot?

When I think of the hundreds of millions of dollars that are being spent on the plethora of presidential campaigns this year, it amuses me to think how every needful person in this country could have had full coverage if these dollars were otherwise directed. Nonetheless, the candidates will wax critical about our system, always preferring ours, if pressed, to any other in the world.

Morally, we must ensure that nobody lacks necessary treatment, but must we insure everybody with marginal universal health care?

Show me a plan that lowers my rates, safeguards my freedom of choice and upscales quality medicine for all legal Americans, and you have my vote.

Senior Pastor

MontroseCommunity Church.org