This week at Rose Cafe Judge Miller brought up a very interesting point about fixing a lot of problems in our society. In order to attempt to tackle over issues we must first ensure universal healthcare and a quality education for everyone as a basic right. Universal healthcare is quite a controversial topic but I think a lot of problems would be solved by introducing universal healthcare. I think a lot of times people fail to seek preventative care and treatment because healthcare under a system of private insurance is expensive and often times they can’t afford it. This seems to be a political debate of a lot of interest and I personally am not very well versed in healthcare however it do think it is not a privilege it’s a right. Now onto the point on education. I know this a topic of importance to most of you considering you are students at an ivy league university (yes, I know people think we are a fake ivy). You didn’t start out here though. You started out in elementary school then went to middle school and then high school. (At least I did, I suppose that depends on where you grew up). Personally I attended public school and received a great education. However, some people aren’t that lucky when it comes to going to public school. Their schools are underfunded and overcrowded. They are receive a lower quality education because of where they live. They receive often times a subpar education because they are economically disadvantaged. Everyone should have the right to a quality education. The composition of Cornell would be completely different if everyone who went to public school was afforded the same education. The majority of Cornell wouldn’t be from Westchester, Long Island or New Jersey. (There would still be a high percentage probably because legacy kids but it would hopefully be slightly more diverse.) I think fixing healthcare and our education system are expensive but worthwhile investments.
(also side note yes i realize this is uncategorized but there is no tag for this event yet)
I also was very focused on how Judge Miller expressed the need for universal healthcare and education. It takes me back to Dr. Rosenthal’s talk last semester about the privatization of healthcare in the United States and the ramifications of that. Her talk was very eye opening to how other countries function in relation to our own.
I completely agree that there should be a standard for both education and healthcare, but how do we regulate that? If we do have education be federally funded all around, what would stop people who are economically privileged from still enrolling their kids in SAT prep and paying for tutors? Would colleges be less selective for certain test scores or grades? Then in turn would that devalue the significance of a degree, especially one from somewhere like Cornell in comparison to a community college. I’m definitely not looking to you for all the answers because the lord know I have none myself, but I’m very intimidated by such large dilemmas that we will have to address very soon in life.