[Peace-discuss] Free markets

[Bob Illyes]

I believe it was regarding "Neither major party champions free markets and 
private-property ownership" that John wrote "This is a profoundly ignorant 
statement, and illustrates why I despise libertarians.  BOTH major parties 
WORSHIP AT THE ALTAR of "free markets" and private property ownership.  And 
so do libertarians."

I'm not a Libertarian, in that I think that targeted public ownership and 
regulation are sometimes best (in this I would include public roads, 
schools and libraries, for example, as well as regulation of air pollution 
and water use). But the above statement about free markets not being 
generally championed is correct. Crony capitalism, in which the major 
economic players and the government are the same people, is worse than 
either socialism or a free market, and crony capitalism is currently in the 
driver's seat. There is some question regarding whether it is possible to 
keep the government from being bought. If it is not possible, strict 
separation of business and state (the libertarian solution) is probably the 
most viable solution. I am not that pessimistic about limited democratic 
control, however.

Bob