I don't think we are on different pages. What I was objecting to was still current "the market is our savior" thinking, which, while mostly a phenomenon of the Right, has plenty of support on the Left. More technically it is referred to as "Washington consensus" economic policy. Bretton Woods thinking in a world which is vastly different than the years following WWII. Yet it is believed in by all kinds of people who should know better. Gilder, for example. We simply cannot afford what I fear is around the corner, a return to "free market religion" as soon as a recovery is under way. The result of that would be utterly predictable, the same kind of disaster we lived through in late 2008 and for most of 2009. Or maybe something worse. Did I mention that I despise Milton Friedman ? Note : this is hardly some sort of endorsement for Keynes. What it is, is a plea for someone to invent a new form of economics which recognizes the fallacies in laissez faire as well as Keynes. An economic Immanuel Kant, as it were, able to make sense of free market vs regulated market weaknesses / failures, able to see their different strengths, and come up with something new. Billy ====================================== In a message dated 1/6/2010 7:36:03 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
I think we must have different definitions of "laissez faire," because I haven't seen that kind of philosophy (as I understand it) being espoused anywhere in US government since I've been old enough to follow politics. When I hear "laissez faire," I think "no government regulation over any facet of the economy." In reality, there is a continuum from laissez faire to Marxism. And the RC viewpoint means finding the excluded middle. But railing against laissez faire in our current government is a strawman. What I think you are saying is that you think there should be more regulation than we currently have in some parts of the economy. But unless we can identify which parts of the economy need more regulation, and what regulation it is that we need, then it's just dogma. Personally, I see more areas of the economy that need less regulation than more. For instance, health care, which could benefit from some actual competition. -Kevin On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 11:54 AM, <[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) > wrote: Ernie : The problem, IMHO, is a flawed theory that won't go away, laissez faire economics. While it is impossible for me to be a Democrat because of the party's social issues positions ( most of which are Satanic ), I can never be a Republican because the GOP is the party of insane economic views. Why have business leaders called the shots for 30 years ? The undeserved popularity of laissez faire theory. The current recession has had a sobering-up effect and it has again become possible to see the structural problems in unregulated Capitalism. Dammit. When will they learn ? You can't have a football game without rules and referees. And if you want a good football game you had better have good rules and good referees. It is, when all is said, that simple. Billy =========================================== In a message dated 1/6/2010 10:04:27 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) writes: I may not like this trend, but I suspect they are correct that there will be more opportunities to make an impact on society (and the economy) via politics than entrepreneurship, as least relative to the last three decades. As a Radical Centrist, I am fascinated by such cyclical pendulum swings, as (like Newton before me :-) they seem to hint at some larger underlying dynamic: _http://current.com/items/90598372_genius-one-percent-inspiration-99-percent -grit.htm_ (http://current.com/items/90598372_genius-one-percent-inspiration-99-percent-grit.htm) If we could figure out the higher-order mechanic that makes the pendulum swing back and forth, perhaps we could escape both the cycles and partisan bickering between socialism and capitalism. Hey, one can dream... -- Ernie P. _http://bit.ly/7KbWwS_ (http://bit.ly/7KbWwS) In Pareto’s view, power rotates among different groups of elites. Overlooked in recent years, Pareto’s “circulation of elites” theory may be about to make a comeback. For the past 30 years, business leaders have essentially called the shots, proclaiming markets, deregulation, and globalization as their mantras. Global capitalism has triumphed at the expense of national governments. The world of business has attracted the brightest talent and offered the most attractive careers and compensation. The next few years will likely witness the return of the politician and the advent of a larger role for the state in the economy. Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, and Nicolas Sarkozy have shoved business titans off the front page. Politicians are now the ones in the driver’s seat. = _______________________________________________ Centroids mailing list: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) _http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com_ (http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com) Archives at _http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/_ (http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/) _______________________________________________ Centroids mailing list: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) _http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com_ (http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com) Archives at _http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/_ (http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/) _______________________________________________ Centroids mailing list: [email protected] http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com Archives at http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/
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