21. America and Israel

A. Both Israel and America are free democracies but also arrogant democracies, with past and present policies that have been callous toward the legitimate rights of other peoples and nations. Both have been belligerent at times toward their neighbors, and have even mistreated segments of their own populations. Instead of working more cooperatively with others, the US and Israel take too many unilateral steps. Israel is also very powerful and its adversaries much less so, which casts doubt on whether Israel can truly be called the victim in its conflict with its opponents. Though many of the actions of its opponents have been reprehensible, Israel is far from blameless. The US is too aligned with Israel and too willing to spread its own military technology around the world, thereby increasing global instability. If both countries were more diplomatic in their approaches, respecting the sovereignty of other nations and choosing to resolve disputes through the UN framework, there would be less animosity towards them and a greater chance of resolving disputes amicably.

B. Both America and Israel are beacons of democracy and liberty. Thanks to their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, both nations have also made exceptional contributions to humanity in many fields including medicine, technology, and agriculture. Both are among the most pluralistic societies in the world and the most welcoming of immigrants. Israel and America’s tenacity in protecting themselves from their enemies, who are undemocratic and anti-liberty, have garnered them some harsh critics. Israel especially must be judged in light of the actions of its enemies, who deny Israel’s right to exist and deliberately use terror and mayhem against innocent Israeli men, women, and children. Israel has demonstrated with both Egypt and Jordan that it can be an excellent peace partner and can make far-reaching concessions, including territorial ones. But Israel does not make concessions to those who seek to destroy it—and nor should it. If Israel lay down its weapons, it would be run over and destroyed; if Israel’s enemies lay down their own weapons, there would be peace and prosperity in the region.

22. The Environment

A. Nothing is more important than the health of the natural environment—not just for human beings, but equally for the countless creatures that call planet Earth home. Humanity is straining the planet’s ability to provide for us all, which necessitates we serve as better caretakers of the environment. We must wean ourselves from fossil fuels and publically support and finance individuals and companies that promote clean fuel technologies. We must drastically cut down on carbon emissions. We must transition to a largely pesticide-free method of cultivation. We must make people more aware of the great damage humanity is doing to our forests, oceans, and wetlands. We must stop encroaching on the natural habitats of many species, a trend that can be reversed by limiting our unchecked expansion and by mandating more thorough environmental impact studies prior to any development projects. All governments must come together and commit to taking the necessary steps to mitigate the devastating effects of global warming.

B. Increases in population and advancements in technology and industry mandate that humanity expand its footprint on the natural environment. Our goal shouldn’t be to have the smallest footprint possible, but to strike a balance between our desire to protect the environment and our need to utilize natural resources for the benefit of our civilization. While more offshore and on-land oil drilling is necessary, we must utilize as well all other proven technologies to provide ourselves with abundant energy. While ensuring clean air, clean water, and clean land is a worthwhile goal, we cannot mandate extreme environmental measures that unduly restrict people’s liberties—for example, banning all incandescent light bulbs and plastic bags, or giving the government control over our home thermostats and trash-sorting habits. Overly aggressive environmental policies lead to unforeseen and often highly detrimental results, like skyrocketing corn prices after environmentalists pushed for corn to be used as an alternative fuel. Environmental alarmists are responsible for propagating many false narratives, including that global warming will lead to an unmitigated global catastrophe unless we spend trillions of dollars to halt its progress. Those trillions of dollars are much better spent on more important policy priorities.

23. Healthcare

A. Both government and the private sector have a role to play in ensuring citizens have access to affordable healthcare. The private sector can offer patients various options for health coverage from multiple insurance companies (even across state lines) as well as medical services ranging from competent to world-class, all based on free market principles including supply and demand. The private sector fosters competition and allows medical and pharmaceutical companies to invest their profits in medical research and new drugs and medical devices. Government can help ensure a robust market for health services by limiting unnecessary regulatory involvement, speeding new medication approval times, and limiting exorbitant lawsuit awards against healthcare providers. Government should also help pay for the medical care of the needy, and should offer loan forgiveness to medical students who sign up to work in underserved communities. Government should not, however, take over the healthcare industry by running it as a government program. Following such a takeover, most people will find that the quality of healthcare goes down, the cost of healthcare goes up (directly or through higher taxes), and health decisions best left for the patient and doctor are made by government bureaucrats. Most large-scale government programs are run inefficiently, over initial cost estimates, and with widespread fraud and abuse—the same will be true of government-run healthcare.

B. Access to affordable healthcare is important enough to qualify as a basic right of all citizens. If some people are deemed “uninsurable,” their lives and the well-being of their families could be put in jeopardy once they require medical care and are unable to pay for it. The private healthcare market is notoriously expensive, with greedy insurance companies, medical facilities, and drug companies overcharging at every opportunity. Only a government-mandated, government-run healthcare system can ensure all citizens receive adequate and affordable medical care. Only a government-run healthcare program can introduce large-scale cost-savings into the health system, including by eliminating the middleman that is the insurance company, by negotiating the best rates with large pharmaceutical companies, and by offering extensive preventive care services.