I'm not sure what you base the statement "that's what a free market solution gives you" on, since as far as I know we've never had anything remotely resembling

I'm not sure what you base the statement "that's what a free market solution gives you" on, since as far as I know we've never had anything remotely resembling a free market solution. In my experience, one of the most common refrains from that side is "the current solution is bad precisely in the ways that it's not free market". Granted, they're just guessing what will happen, but I don't see that as meaningfully different from your guess about people dying in the streets etc. Also, I have no doubt that you've talked to people with strange ideas, but your conception of what conservatives advocate (or fail to advocate) is very far from my conception of what conservatives advocate. Your statements make me think you know someone like one of my friends, but you're missing the whole rest of the spectrum of conservative/libertarian/capitalist thoughts, memes, and ideas.