How come no one told me about this guy? That’s right, all you Canadians! How come I am 35 years old and someone told me about Tommy Douglas for the first time tonight! I think I might have a new hero. This guy is fascinating!
By the end of World War II, Douglas found a new way to support his solution to CanadaÃs economic problems. Canada had successfully financed a war against a foreign aggression but could not do the same against poverty. “Surely,” said Douglas in a radio broadcast, “if we can produce in such abundance in order to destroy our enemies, we can produce in equal abundance in order to provide food, clothing, and shelter for our children.”
I guess that you could ask that question today just as easily, couldn’t you?
He was the founder of Universal Health Care in Canada, starting in the Province of Saskatchewan.
The North American Medical Establishment tried to defy Medicare, DouglasÃs top priority project, and Saskatchewan became an intense battleground. This turbulent time was marked by the DoctorÃs Strike as the physicians of the province protested socialized healthcare. However, the striking doctors were no match for Douglas. When the dust settled with the resolution of the strike, Medicare in Saskatchewan was born. Douglas showed Canada two things: that it was possible to develope and finance a universal Medicare system and that the medical profession could be confronted. Had Douglas not have made these first ground breaking steps, national Medicare would never have happened.
Steve! Sean! How come you guys never told me about this fella?
Patrick, you never asked!
Seriously, we Canadians are a modest lot and blowing our own horn, either internally or externally, is not our way. I don’t know a lot about Douglas myself and, given that he was from an earlier generation, suspect that most young Canadians today know virtually nothing about him other than that he’s considered to be the “father of Canadian medicare.” Western Canadians are apt to know more about him than us dumb, drunk easterners.
– Steve
Where I often find myself at odds with left-leaning or socialist types is with their love of deficit financing. In Canada (and perhaps elsewhere?) too many leftists don’t seem to believe in balanced budgets (e.g., Bob Rae gov’t in Ontario circa 1990-94). Their hearts are in the right place re. social programs but they’re not hard-nosed about cost control and spending tax dollars wisely.
Of course, right-leaning governments can also run deficits (e.g., Raygun, Dubya), but they do so in favor of less desirable ends (tax cuts and military spending). They speak of the need to balance the budget only when cutting social programs but seem to forget about it when they wish to increase military spending or provide a tax cut for the wealthy.
No matter how or why created, the result of continuing yearly deficits is large accumulated debt, which leads to an increasing portion of revenues being spent on interest payments rather than programs. As in one’s personal life, this leads to an ever-decreasing quality of life. I believe in pay-as-you-go.
One thing I particularly admire about Tommy Douglas was how he coupled innovative support of social programs with a dislike of government deficits and debt. I’ve long wished that his Canadian followers would think likewise on this issue. There is some evidence that they are beginning to.
– Steve