I agree there are good practical reasons for this, and to go off on a tangent: it reminds me how, in general, such discussions about public policy and funding programs would be more broadly accepted or successful (but maybe less impactful?) if they were framed that way rather than right vs. wrong. For example with costs of healthcare in the US and how to help the poor. People across the political spectrum usually agree that healthcare is too expensive, and before 2012 we were gradually getting new state-run health service programs that filled the gap between private insurance and indigent care. It's possible that conservatives could have been convinced on the benefits of targeted funding in some areas, but liberals are moralists and had to engage in mass propaganda campaigns to hit us all on the head with HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT!
Naturally many of us were like "no, fuck off with your socialized medicine bullshit", and the political lines were drawn.
I agree there are good practical reasons for this, and to go off on a tangent: it reminds me how, in general, such discussions about public policy and funding programs would be more broadly accepted or successful (but maybe less impactful?) if they were framed that way rather than right vs. wrong. For example with costs of healthcare in the US and how to help the poor. People across the political spectrum usually agree that healthcare is too expensive, and before 2012 we were gradually getting new state-run health service programs that filled the gap between private insurance and indigent care. It's possible that conservatives could have been convinced on the benefits of targeted funding in some areas, but liberals are moralists and had to engage in mass propaganda campaigns to hit us all on the head with HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT!
Naturally many of us were like "no, fuck off with your socialized medicine bullshit", and the political lines were drawn.