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Comment by cryptica | Hacker News Reader

The government can never increase freedom. It can only reduce freedom. The only way to increase freedom is by reducing the government.

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That is rediculous. Your model assumes that all freedom is freedom from legislative restrictions.

If I have universal healthcare, then I am free of the worry of medical bankruptcy. Being free from things is a significant source of freedom.

As someone recently working in hospitals (in Europe), no it cannot. Medical issues can rapidly and permanently reduce you to government support, which is guaranteed to destroy your financial situation quickly.

Also, quite a lot of treatments are not done, or have absurd waiting lists, so you’ll be tempted to get yourself into medical bankruptcy anyway by going private/abroad. Either that or accept delayed subpar care. Or no care at all.

As a popular Italian artists said

freedom is not the opportunity of doing whatever you want without any limit, if they leave me in the desert and tell me "you are free now, do whatever you like" I would not be free at all.

Do people really believe bullshit like this, or do they just regurgitate it to feel enlightened? Like the world is made up of 27 Absolute Rules and if you know all 27 then you are the smartest person. Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

What an ironic comment.

Governments can absolutely increase freedom. They can prevent one group from subjecting and surpassing another. People who live in fear that expressing their beliefs are not really free.

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