3 ms·

Isn't this a common libertarian fallacy - that government and private enterprise are 2 separate entities. Government is bad and should be restricted from interf

by rdtsc 10y ago

Isn't this a common libertarian fallacy - that government and private enterprise are 2 separate entities. Government is bad and should be restricted from interference and private enterprise should not be regulated and market forces will auto-converge to some nice maximum. In reality there is really not that much difference between government and large enterprises. Funny enough that can also be reconciled with the libertarian dream, perhaps by simply viewing bits of the government as extensions or private enterprise. So FDA is a subsidiary of Monsanto, FCC of Verizon and so on. So what is the fastest and easiest way to make a most profit - change regulatory environment, lobby, and so on. This works for large companies and down to individuals as well. We just saw in latest DNC leaks, there is a price you pay and you get named ambassador in some picturesque European country.

hnnicker 10y ago
> Government is bad and should be restricted from interference and private enterprise should not be regulated and market forces will auto-converge to some nice maximum. That is not how I understand libertarianism. It is not that government is bad. But that government's role is to be the rule maker and referee. The government should not be playing the game. Rather than "regulate" a large company, the government should make sure the rules don't hinder competitors. Ultimately, it is more competitors each trying something different that drives price down and quality up.
ftlio 10y ago
Two sources I like on this topic: https://mises.org/sites/default/files/15_3_3.pdf https://mises.org/sites/default/files/15_3_3.pdf and Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graeber Conceiving of the government and private enterprise as separate entities really doesn't make sense. They both exist as a matter of energy and resource economy (in the sense of managing resources). They're adversarial and mutually beneficial, as is pretty much anything in any ecology.

by rdtsc 10y ago

hnnicker 10y ago

> Government is bad and should be restricted from interference and private enterprise should not be regulated and market forces will auto-converge to some nice maximum. That is not how I understand libertarianism. It is not that government is bad. But that government's role is to be the rule maker and referee. The government should not be playing the game. Rather than "regulate" a large company, the government should make sure the rules don't hinder competitors. Ultimately, it is more competitors each trying something different that drives price down and quality up.

ftlio 10y ago

Two sources I like on this topic: https://mises.org/sites/default/files/15_3_3.pdf https://mises.org/sites/default/files/15_3_3.pdf and Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graeber Conceiving of the government and private enterprise as separate entities really doesn't make sense. They both exist as a matter of energy and resource economy (in the sense of managing resources). They're adversarial and mutually beneficial, as is pretty much anything in any ecology.