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The traditional view of libertarian capitalists where government, democratic or otherwise, has no moral validity when regulating or prohibiting various forms co
by revscat 6y ago
The traditional view of libertarian capitalists where government, democratic or otherwise, has no moral validity when regulating or prohibiting various forms commerce, falls on its face when confronted with the real world. The free market works passingly well for basic items that people are free to chose whether to purchase or not. It fails spectacularly when one party is forced. In situations such as those presented in TFA the market fails spectacularly, and government can and should step in, and so long as backed by the democratic will, has the moral justification to do so.
- josh_fyi 6y agoIt's not a free market. The US health system is highly regulated, and most importantly, there is a huge tax incentive for health care to be paid for not by individuals but by employers who buy full coverage.
- revscat 6y agoThis response is common, but flawed. At root it is a “no true Scotsman” fallacy. Behind that, it argues, or at least heavily implies, that the only “true” free market is one wholly unburdened by regulation. Such a thing does not exist outside of history books, and there are good, historical reasons as to why. The fundamental premise, though — that the market is not ideal for healthcare —- remains. For shoes and smartphones, the market is fine. For MRIs and insulin, it is not.
- ninjinxo 6y ago>It's not a free market. If you hadn't opened with that I think we could have gotten another two or three people extending the chain of indirectly stating as much.