Yes, I do have a nerve, as Mr. Wright charges, to challenge the principle behind Medicare, which he calls a “generational compact.” (I’m going to have to dig out my old Newspeak dictionary to hold my own in this discussion. Professor Chaufan refers to the principle of “cooperative compulsion,” which sounds ominous.) I’m pleased that Mr. Wright does not think it’s a “bailout” for him to finance his parents’ health care and hopes his children will do the same for him.