5 ms·

We are /NOT/ a free-market economy. There is no /freedom/ in our markets. There are plenty of items that are unavailable. There are plenty of restrictions on

We are /NOT/ a free-market economy. There is no /freedom/ in our markets. There are plenty of items that are unavailable. There are plenty of restrictions on trade. There are massive tariffs on trade. There are limits on the amount of monies spent or earned. The concept of a free-market scares the politicians in America, and those politicians do everything in their power to prevent exactly that; a free-market.

afpx 5y ago
Which countries would you consider being closest to free-market?
- Joker_vD 5y ago
  Russia in the 90-ies: everything was up to sale, including human lives, government itself (all three branches), all kinds of property imaginable, and enforcement or non-enforcement of contracts. They're commonly named as "holy nineties" amongst the wealthy people who built their wealth (and managed to survive) during those years: no excessive bureaucracy, all problems could be solved (for the right price) with a single phone call to the right people. Paragon of freedom and efficiency! Of course, the rest of the population who also managed to survive the nineties remember them in much, much less rosy terms... and there were quite some number of those who did not survive, but eh, why care about those losers? As the first Minister of Economy and Finances of Russia himself said, "we're living during the tectonic changes and reforms, and the death of those who were incapable to adapt to the market is an inevitable part of the process".
ceejayoz 5y ago
By those criteria, no free market exists in any significant capacity, and you get into the sort of "Communism would work if people cooperated!" silliness territory.
- me_me_me 5y ago
  > and you get into the sort of "Communism would work if people cooperated!" silliness territory. What are you on about? Lets run a quick thought test: Are you for or against people selling: - bio-weapons to kids on the street? - heroin? What about sending money to North Korea? What about... you get the point Free-Market means no restriction on market, the magical self-regulation will restrict undesired transactions somehow. What modern economies have are: Open, fair markets, overseen by governments to ensure its fair and open. They are not somehow communist because they regulate and ensure baby milk is free of heavy metals and paint has no lead in it.
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    The point is that neither perfect communism nor perfect free market setups are possible. Everything is always going to fall somewhere in the middle of things; you'll find some countries with less regulation in some areas, more in others. As such, statements like "The concept of a free-market scares the politicians in America" as if it were achievable in the strict context the poster requires ("There is no /freedom/ in our markets") are a bit silly. Why would they be scared of something that literally can't exist? Proponents of communism similarly like to use the "well that wasn't real communism" to evade critiques of the real-world implementations of it.

afpx 5y ago

Which countries would you consider being closest to free-market?

Joker_vD 5y ago
Russia in the 90-ies: everything was up to sale, including human lives, government itself (all three branches), all kinds of property imaginable, and enforcement or non-enforcement of contracts. They're commonly named as "holy nineties" amongst the wealthy people who built their wealth (and managed to survive) during those years: no excessive bureaucracy, all problems could be solved (for the right price) with a single phone call to the right people. Paragon of freedom and efficiency! Of course, the rest of the population who also managed to survive the nineties remember them in much, much less rosy terms... and there were quite some number of those who did not survive, but eh, why care about those losers? As the first Minister of Economy and Finances of Russia himself said, "we're living during the tectonic changes and reforms, and the death of those who were incapable to adapt to the market is an inevitable part of the process".

ceejayoz 5y ago

By those criteria, no free market exists in any significant capacity, and you get into the sort of "Communism would work if people cooperated!" silliness territory.

me_me_me 5y ago
> and you get into the sort of "Communism would work if people cooperated!" silliness territory. What are you on about? Lets run a quick thought test: Are you for or against people selling: - bio-weapons to kids on the street? - heroin? What about sending money to North Korea? What about... you get the point Free-Market means no restriction on market, the magical self-regulation will restrict undesired transactions somehow. What modern economies have are: Open, fair markets, overseen by governments to ensure its fair and open. They are not somehow communist because they regulate and ensure baby milk is free of heavy metals and paint has no lead in it.
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  The point is that neither perfect communism nor perfect free market setups are possible. Everything is always going to fall somewhere in the middle of things; you'll find some countries with less regulation in some areas, more in others. As such, statements like "The concept of a free-market scares the politicians in America" as if it were achievable in the strict context the poster requires ("There is no /freedom/ in our markets") are a bit silly. Why would they be scared of something that literally can't exist? Proponents of communism similarly like to use the "well that wasn't real communism" to evade critiques of the real-world implementations of it.