>It's true, resource allocation is very important. But is the free market more important than for example the declining life expectancy in the US? The free mar

>It's true, resource allocation is very important. But is the free market more important than for example the declining life expectancy in the US? The free market does not know or care. It takes the preferences of all the people and the government they elected and combines them. If people choose health they get it. If they choose the opposite they get it. That's sort of the point here. It might be surprising that people prefer being fat and watching TV to long, educated, lives. But it does seem to be their preference. I am all for trying to change that. But people were lazy and gluttonous long before Private equity (a tiny part of the wider system) ever reared it's head...