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There are other free market economies. And America reached the apex of its power under the New Deal and during wartime, when the "free market" was carefully con

There are other free market economies. And America reached the apex of its power under the New Deal and during wartime, when the "free market" was carefully constrained to meet the needs of the state. It's funny to watch people try and analyze what made the US the world's dominant global empire when in reality it was a series of complex and contingent factors that can't be replicated because they could have only occurred in their exact historical circumstances. For example, other countries have tried to replicate American dairying culture, buying into the propaganda put out by the dairy industry that milk drinking is the secret to America's success. So China started up loads of American-style dairies to provide drinking milk for a population... without the gene for lactase persistence. That's what the free market talk feels like to me. America is at the top and that can't be replicated. There's only room for one at the top. When it collapses, we'll see what circumstances lead to the next great empire. It might be collectivism!

WalterBright 3y ago
The New Deal was a welfare system. Welfare has never made a country prosperous. The success of free markets has been replicated many times: 1. the US 2. Japan after WW2 3. Germany after WW2 4. Hong Kong 5. China after it abandoned the cultural revolution It has nothing to do with geography. > America is at the top and that can't be replicated It can be replicated. > It might be collectivism! Yet collectivism always fails. No country has managed to feed itself with collective farms, for example. And it isn't for lack of trying.
- danans 3y ago
  > The New Deal was a welfare system. Welfare has never made a country prosperous. > The success of free markets has been replicated many times: > 1. the US > 2. Japan after WW2 > 3. Germany after WW2 > 4. Hong Kong > 5. China after it abandoned the cultural revolution 4 of those 5 countries have significant welfare programs (Japan and Germany being the most generous among those on your list).
  - WalterBright 3y ago
    > 4 of those 5 countries have significant welfare programs Welfare does not correspond with prosperity. It's hard to see how paying people to not work contributes to prosperity.
    - defrost 3y ago
      Try harder then. Supporting people who have trouble sourcing an income reduces the amount paid out to offset starving hordes doing whatever it takes to survive et al. There's a balance.
    - hef19898 3y ago
      So, you are saying it would be good to have people working? Kind of like, I don't know, propose a programm or policy to very strongly motivate them, for example like a law, to take essentail jobs? I don't know, maybe during wartime to meet production goals? Just asking, because FDR wanted exactly that in his free market economy only produxing for the war effort to goverment set gials and prices in 1945. Welfare programs mean that life expectabcy is higher, as is quality of life. The US for examole is loosong on both metrics against Europe and ither parts of the world with solid programs. Germanys ascent to economic hight can be in part be traced back to Soziale Marktwirtschaft, combining very solid welfare and social.programs with a free market economy.
      - enriquec 3y ago
        The welfare administrators pay no price for being wrong and thus the waste, fraud, and abuse has collapsed them all, throughout all of history. > Welfare programs mean that life expectabcy is higher, as is quality of life. The US for examole is loosong on both metrics against Europe and ither parts of the world with solid programs. Germanys ascent to economic hight can be in part be traced back to Soziale Marktwirtschaft, combining very solid welfare and social.programs with a free market economy. You're just saying this when all the evidence is to the contrary. Is Ukraine depending on Germany or the US? (Rhetorical.)

WalterBright 3y ago

The New Deal was a welfare system. Welfare has never made a country prosperous. The success of free markets has been replicated many times: 1. the US 2. Japan after WW2 3. Germany after WW2 4. Hong Kong 5. China after it abandoned the cultural revolution It has nothing to do with geography. > America is at the top and that can't be replicated It can be replicated. > It might be collectivism! Yet collectivism always fails. No country has managed to feed itself with collective farms, for example. And it isn't for lack of trying.

danans 3y ago
> The New Deal was a welfare system. Welfare has never made a country prosperous. > The success of free markets has been replicated many times: > 1. the US > 2. Japan after WW2 > 3. Germany after WW2 > 4. Hong Kong > 5. China after it abandoned the cultural revolution 4 of those 5 countries have significant welfare programs (Japan and Germany being the most generous among those on your list).
- WalterBright 3y ago
  > 4 of those 5 countries have significant welfare programs Welfare does not correspond with prosperity. It's hard to see how paying people to not work contributes to prosperity.
  - defrost 3y ago
    Try harder then. Supporting people who have trouble sourcing an income reduces the amount paid out to offset starving hordes doing whatever it takes to survive et al. There's a balance.
  - hef19898 3y ago
    So, you are saying it would be good to have people working? Kind of like, I don't know, propose a programm or policy to very strongly motivate them, for example like a law, to take essentail jobs? I don't know, maybe during wartime to meet production goals? Just asking, because FDR wanted exactly that in his free market economy only produxing for the war effort to goverment set gials and prices in 1945. Welfare programs mean that life expectabcy is higher, as is quality of life. The US for examole is loosong on both metrics against Europe and ither parts of the world with solid programs. Germanys ascent to economic hight can be in part be traced back to Soziale Marktwirtschaft, combining very solid welfare and social.programs with a free market economy.
    - enriquec 3y ago
      The welfare administrators pay no price for being wrong and thus the waste, fraud, and abuse has collapsed them all, throughout all of history. > Welfare programs mean that life expectabcy is higher, as is quality of life. The US for examole is loosong on both metrics against Europe and ither parts of the world with solid programs. Germanys ascent to economic hight can be in part be traced back to Soziale Marktwirtschaft, combining very solid welfare and social.programs with a free market economy. You're just saying this when all the evidence is to the contrary. Is Ukraine depending on Germany or the US? (Rhetorical.)