What's your political standing?

[Dan Lambskin]

Economic Left/Right: -4.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.44


i would have preferred Niether Agree or Disagree as an option

[Matthias]

The United States has become, over time, an increasingly less free market but increasingly more liberties. You also lose the potential for market exploitation (although globalization is doing a pretty good job of substituting in).

How can you say we have more freedom today than we did 50 years ago?

Ask any elderly black person from the South on their ability to vote today versus in the 1950's. The caselaw is replete with individuals being disenfranchised the vote.

Ask any elderly woman on her ability to work today versus in the 1950's. My future mother-in-law worked for AT&T and a supervisor told her, "Well, you've got a good head on your shoulders, but you have two strikes against you. One, you're Irish. Two, you're a woman."

To me, equality = opportunity = freedom.

[Matthias]

Am i the only person that thinks the free market is a good thing?

Externalities.

A completely free market invokes a lot of unborn costs that are pushed onto the greater society in the following years. Unregulated markets are ultimately not beneficial for corporations, consumers, or society at large. And the questions in this poll were pretty uncomprising.

You think they are fair if you agree with a socialist prospective.

Not true. You can be on the side of the free market and still be for regulation. But the most free market is not created by anarchy; it's created by construct.

[Neato Torpedo]

Bingo.

[AussieDodger]

Bingo.

Surprise surprise.
I'm surprised a beatnik like you knows how to work a computer

[Neato Torpedo]

You kidding? The internet is the best way for me to order cheap "Free Mumia" and "No Blood For Oil" shirts. Also, The Daily Kos isn't available in print form.

[thedude]

But the most free market is not created by anarchy; it's created by construct.

That i can agree with. But it depends on what type of regulation and what you consider to be a market inefficiency. For instance copyright policy tends to be good regulation. Trust busting can be good regulation. Tariffs on imports are bad. Protecting dieing industries is bad regulation. Government control of certain private sectors is bad.

[Matthias]

But the most free market is not created by anarchy; it's created by construct.

That i can agree with. But it depends on what type of regulation and what you consider to be a market inefficiency. For instance copyright policy tends to be good regulation. Trust busting can be good regulation. Tariffs on imports are bad. Protecting dieing industries is bad regulation. Government control of certain private sectors is bad.

I agree with all of that although tariffs can be functional and efficient if a competitor's product is itself being priced too artificially low. And I don't think that the government should run private sectors, simply define the norms and rules of the game that benefit society and then let the private sector decide how to profit maximize.

In the case of insurance, however, I see no reason not to involve government since insurance is, by its nature, privatized socialism and all you do when you make it a private market is to increase transaction costs.

[RugbyD]

In the case of insurance, however, I see no reason not to involve government since insurance is, by its nature, privatized socialism and all you do when you make it a private market is to increase transaction costs.

Not really. Generally speaking its elective with a good degree of optionality and competition, both of which are currently constrained by govt regulation by things like border restrictions and minimum policy requirements. Inviting the govt into a major role will introduce rationing, pricing inefficiencies, and very likely redistributive policies.

[the ROC]

that was a little anti-climactic...