How to promote social well-being

"With a life expectancy of 79.6 years and levels of wellbeing in the top seven percent of the world, Costa Rica vastly outpaces Mexico and even matches many Scandinavian nations in these areas. And they do it with 12 percent less GDP per capita than Mexico has. How? Simply by investing in high-quality public healthcare, education and social security, rooted in the principle that everyone - regardless of income - should have equal access to these services as a basic right." -- from an opinion article on Al Jazeera (emphasis added)

Here in the United States, we should want to live in a society that believes -- and shows by its policies and actions --

-- that sick people, no matter in what county or state, can fairly and affordably access high-quality healthcare;

-- that all children, no matter in what ZIP code, can receive a high-quality K-12 public education; and

-- that all seniors can feel secure, both in terms of fixed income and medical insurance, in a social safety net.

We should want to promote a society where as many people as possible are: 1) healthy; 2) educated; and 3) cared-for through old age.

A healthy people are an economically productive people.

An educated electorate leads to a more equitable society and a better-functioning democracy.

A society that cares for its seniors is a society that rightfully repays those for their most productive years and assures those that are currently in their most productive years that their future is secure.

Any political party or policy or individual politician that opposes these ideals should be strongly challenged, and likely opposed. If it can be done in Costa Rica, to largely positive results, why not in the United States?