Access to goods and services

When it comes to the necessities for the basic quality of life, I don't take issue with access. What's the overall benefit to restricting access? As I mentioned in a previous post (Gentrification), everyone likes to live in nice neighbourhoods i.e. people want to achieve a basic standard of living and it might even allow for societal harmony if that happens. However, we all need to remind ourselves that with access comes individual responsibility and accountability. For example, when the state builds pleasant public parks for people to enjoy the outdoors and to improve neighbourhoods, there is nothing more disrespectful or frustrating when it is turned into a trash dumping site. The consequence of such terrible treatment of public goods, is that it can be taken away or defunded into non-existence. It is a bit like when you were a kid, you asked for gadgets/games/toys which you received initially, but you neglected or manhandled them. You then kept asking for more, but showed you weren't appreciating or efficiently using what you received, which your parents noticed. Would it be a surprise if your parents then stopped buying you more things, or had a conversation with you about what they already bought for you? Public goods are the same thing, and everyone knows money is finite.

Take public schools. There was a time where education wasn't accessible to all, however that changed because having a knowledgeable population and skilled workforce is highly beneficial for the economy and the efficient functioning of society. Simultaneously, to be able to achieve peak educational outcomes, students themselves also need to take accountability. You need to eat your proverbial vegetables - in other words, you need to learn to have an appetite for learning or acquiring knowledge/information for the sake of it. I have noticed how this tolerance level is heterogeneous across subjects, which perhaps stems from cultural norms; this is where the accountability factor comes in.

The same general concept can be applied to public healthcare provision. Access is all good, when paired with accountability, and responsible and equitable use. On that note, I believe America should perhaps move away from comparing the public health system to that of e.g. Nordic nations. The underlying conditions are just so disparate, that it does not provide for an effective debate at this point in time. If comparisons need to be made, a starting point can be discussing how Scandinavians take personal accountability for their own health, and seem to follow the balanced diet and exercise rule.