yytz
First off regarding the Torah view on voting.
You are correct that that facts on the ground are that universal suffrage is here to stay, however I was addressing the question of whether it is supported by the Torah.
The Rema makes clear it is not.
Regarding Health Insurance.
First off the question whether people in Europe are “happier” with their HEalth Care is irrelevent as to whether the Care is better.
I am sure you can realize that someone saying they are happy with the quality of their care does not reflect on the actual quality.
However the results of a survey done of over a 1000 seriously ill patients in Europe and the same number in the USA would be informative.
Now I am sure you will counter that there are many surveys showing longer life spans in Europe, howevet most of those surveys neglect to reveal their data i.e if they count infant deaths (in europe many studies do not, in the US they do).
They also neglect to state the qua;lity of care availible in European counties to elderly citizens.
EX. In england it used to be (I do not know the current law) illegal to grant Dialysis to people over the age of 70 while the same was not true in the USA.
This is a policy that would have grave Halachic ramifications on Jewish people who have a completley different view on the value of an elderly persons life then the secular world.
I admit I did not fully understand the myriad issues created by Socialized MEdicine until I was able to hear a 3 part shiur that spanned several hours given by Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz who practiced medicine in England and detailed the many Pikuach NEfesh Shailos that arise under the European Medical System.
Furthermore regarding the economy.
Greece is not the only problem.
Portugal, Spain, Ireland and other European countries actually pose the same threats.
And France actually is flirting with becoming the biggest problem of the bunch.
And to compare the economies of small countries where certain social policies are not cost prohibitive to the USA which is probably bigger population wise then all the countiresa you mentiones is avoiding a major part of the problem.
Social Policies cost money, that money must be produced.
Competent Medical Care requires Competent trained physicians those physicians must be willing to invest the time and effort to become competent.
As for US financial deregulation.
Actually the subprime mortgages that lay at the heart of the crisisabout 5 years ago were produced by financial institutions to comply with liberal economic policies.
Basically the banks were told they must lend to people even if certain populations were shown to be unable to carry the debt of owning a home.
After these “Home Equality” laws were put in place the Banks figured out how they could make money instead of continueing to lose money.
Historically it was Conservatives who tried to reighn in Fannie and Freddie and stop the underlying activities that eventually caused widespread destruction to the financial markets.
There is a clip on You Tube of an actual Congressional hearing where Democrats made clear they refused to go ahead with any attempt to address the problems that Congress knew about.