And now to Liberia: All 25000 university applicants fail

[bobevenson]

Let's put it this way, the great economist Milton Friedman was against doctors even being licensed.

Sounds fair enough to me. Like I said. I'll have a Big Mac, fries and a hernia operation.

I'd suggest staying away from the subject of economics, my friend.

[Ginkgo]

Let's put it this way, the great economist Milton Friedman was against doctors even being licensed.

Sounds fair enough to me. Like I said. I'll have a Big Mac, fries and a hernia operation.

I'd suggest staying away from the subject of economics, my friend.

Ok, I promise but only if you answer my previous question. How much do you think a MD is worth in monetary terms based on your "restaurant theory" of medicine? This is provided that the qualification is delivered within 5 years.

[bobevenson]

How much do you think a MD is worth in monetary terms based on your "restaurant theory" of medicine?

I don't know what anybody or anything is worth. It's what people are willing to pay for it. What is a Rembrandt painting worth? It's whatever the owner can get for it. What is a doctor's service worth? It's whatever he can get for it. I will guarantee you one thing though, in a free market, today's doctor would get considerably less than he's making now.

[Ginkgo]

How much do you think a MD is worth in monetary terms based on your "restaurant theory" of medicine?

I don't know what anybody or anything is worth. It's what people are willing to pay for it. What is a Rembrandt painting worth? It's whatever the owner can get for it. What is a doctor's service worth? It's whatever he can get for it. I will guarantee you one thing though, in a free market, today's doctor would get considerably less than he's making now.

I found your link involving Friedman. I also looked at an attached link with Friedman at the Mayo Clinic. Taken together the links puts the whole thing in perspective. Friedman is not actually arguing for an "everything offered for a price, and no questions asked" type of medicine. He is saying that patients should ask questions in relation to doctors having the highest qualifications.

Friedman sees this as THE most important thing when it comes to private medicine- it's the selling point. In other words, as a free market business we want your business and the reason is because we have the best qualified doctors. What he is against is the licensing of doctors.

[bobevenson]

How much do you think a MD is worth in monetary terms based on your "restaurant theory" of medicine?

I don't know what anybody or anything is worth. It's what people are willing to pay for it. What is a Rembrandt painting worth? It's whatever the owner can get for it. What is a doctor's service worth? It's whatever he can get for it. I will guarantee you one thing though, in a free market, today's doctor would get considerably less than he's making now.

I found your link involving Friedman. I also looked at an attached link with Friedman at the Mayo Clinic. Taken together the links puts the whole thing in perspective. Friedman is not actually arguing for an "everything offered for a price, and no questions asked" type of medicine. He is saying that patients should ask questions in relation to doctors having the highest qualifications.

Friedman sees this as THE most important thing when it comes to private medicine- it's the selling point. In other words, as a free market business we want your business and the reason is because we have the best qualified doctors. What he is against is the licensing of doctors.

When I said no questions asked, I was talking about a school being able to accept only the students it wants rather than anybody who's willing to pay the tuition. The government shouldn't be able to license doctors any more than it does auto mechanics or other professions. Doing so always results in higher prices and less satisfactory service to the consumer.

[Ginkgo]

When I said no questions asked, I was talking about a school being able to accept only the students it wants rather than anybody who's willing to pay the tuition. The government shouldn't be able to license doctors any more than it does auto mechanics or other professions. Doing so always results in higher prices and less satisfactory service to the consumer.

When you said, "everything" I thought you meant everything. Nonetheless, of course you agree with Friedman when he says that the highest standards of academia for medical school graduates is important for free market medicine.

[bobevenson]

When I said no questions asked, I was talking about a school being able to accept only the students it wants rather than anybody who's willing to pay the tuition. The government shouldn't be able to license doctors any more than it does auto mechanics or other professions. Doing so always results in higher prices and less satisfactory service to the consumer.

When you said, "everything" I thought you meant everything. Nonetheless, of course you agree with Friedman when he says that the highest standards of academia for medical school graduates is important for free market medicine.

When I said everything, I meant everything. In a free market, you have buyers and sellers, and that's the only thing that counts, no questions asked and no discrimination allowed. I'm not aware of Friedman making that statement, but it doesn't sound like him, and if he did make it, he was either drunk or suffering from a case of temporary insanity.

[Ginkgo]

When I said everything, I meant everything. In a free market, you have buyers and sellers, and that's the only thing that counts, no questions asked and no discrimination allowed. I'm not aware of Friedman making that statement, but it doesn't sound like him, and if he did make it, he was either drunk or suffering from a case of temporary insanity.

I don't know if Friedman has a drinking problem or not. However, your ad hominem attack on the man you tout as a great person is not relevant to the discussion. All that matters is what he said.

If you click on the link you originally posted then you will see and hear Friedman talking at the Mayo Clinic. As I said before he poses an argument against registration of doctors, but defends academic standards. He believes that private health care companies benefit greatly from employing the best qualified doctors for their practice. It is a selling point

[bobevenson]

When I said everything, I meant everything. In a free market, you have buyers and sellers, and that's the only thing that counts, no questions asked and no discrimination allowed. I'm not aware of Friedman making that statement, but it doesn't sound like him, and if he did make it, he was either drunk or suffering from a case of temporary insanity.

I don't know if Friedman has a drinking problem or not. However, your ad hominem attack on the man you tout as a great person is not relevant to the discussion. All that matters is what he said.

If you click on the link you originally posted then you will see and hear Friedman talking at the Mayo Clinic. As I said before he poses an argument against registration of doctors, but defends academic standards. He believes that private health care companies benefit greatly from employing the best qualified doctors for their practice. It is a selling point

You said, "Friedman says that the highest standards of academia for medical school graduates is important for free market medicine." That's quite different than saying that companies benefit from having the best-qualified doctors, which, of course, has nothing to do with a free market. P.S. Being drunk does not imply a drinking problem.

[Ginkgo]

When I said everything, I meant everything. In a free market, you have buyers and sellers, and that's the only thing that counts, no questions asked and no discrimination allowed. I'm not aware of Friedman making that statement, but it doesn't sound like him, and if he did make it, he was either drunk or suffering from a case of temporary insanity.

I don't know if Friedman has a drinking problem or not. However, your ad hominem attack on the man you tout as a great person is not relevant to the discussion. All that matters is what he said.

If you click on the link you originally posted then you will see and hear Friedman talking at the Mayo Clinic. As I said before he poses an argument against registration of doctors, but defends academic standards. He believes that private health care companies benefit greatly from employing the best qualified doctors for their practice. It is a selling point

You said, "Friedman says that the highest standards of academia for medical school graduates is important for free market medicine." That's quite different than saying that companies benefit from having the best-qualified doctors, which, of course, has nothing to do with a free market. P.S. Being drunk does not imply a drinking problem.

High standards in medical schools being met by graduates is the first of many steps for becoming highly qualified in your field. This has everything to do with private medical schools in the free market. P.S. Defending standards in medicine doesn't imply that Friedman was drunk or suffering from temporary insanity.

[bobevenson]

Defending standards in medicine doesn't imply that Friedman was drunk or suffering from temporary insanity.

Since standards of medicine should be determined by the marketplace, there are no standards that need to be defined or defended by anyone else.

[Ginkgo]

Defending standards in medicine doesn't imply that Friedman was drunk or suffering from temporary insanity.

Since standards of medicine should be determined by the marketplace, there are no standards that need to be defined or defended by anyone else.

Not really because "is determined" is not the same as "is important".

Medical schools deliberately make an effort to positively discriminate in favour of the most intelligent people. Sydney University requires a university entrance score of 99.95 to do a Bachelor of Advanced Science/Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery.This is because only the most intelligent students would be able to complete the course.

I don't mind the market place determining who is best qualified to make the hamburger I am about to eat. However, would you like the market place to determine who is best qualified to stick a 6 inch needle through your spinal cord?

[bobevenson]

You seem to have forgotten my earlier point that all universities are leftist scams whose very existence is based on endowments and special government favors. Government regulation of dangerous medical practices should be handled the same way as dangerous restaurant practices.

[Ginkgo]

You seem to have forgotten my earlier point that all universities are leftist scams whose very existence is based on endowments and special government favors. Government regulation of dangerous medical practices should be handled the same way as dangerous restaurant practices.

That's true most universities are left wing. I think that would far outnumber right wing universities. Having said that I don't know much about right wing universities as we don't have any that I know of in Australia. Most of ours tend to be left wing. However, this is not surprising since they are pursue a progressive epistemological agenda. I think it goes under the name of progress.

Yes, there would be a lot of feather bedding going on, but progress always has it's negative side. So I guess you are saying that "dangerous practices" are what universities are doing to the minds of the young?

[bobevenson]

I'm saying that any economic activity that poses an unknown threat to the consumer needs to be regulated by the government, whether it be restaurants or hospitals.