"Freedom" thread or something

The Doctor wrote: thellama73 wrote: As long as the government wields power, there will be people lobbying to get them to wield it on their behalf. On the other hand, if the government gives up power, lobbying them would be a pointless activity. You're asking for a system to work contrary to its incentives. We're asking to change the incentives. Both are unlikely, but I think it's easier to change incentives than to get people to act contrary to their self-interests. Thank you for at least a sincere answer to my obviously insincere and pointless question.

For what it's worth, I never thought your question was insincere.

JJLehto wrote: Which is something I've been pondering a while now. Might as well just ask: How free exactly a market would you guys say we have? I came to the conclusion not very, but all reality can't say we have a command economy...though many want to. My judgement was based largely on the Fed, but is that enough? Like so many of the Austrians and libertarians that are oft quoted deal with planned economies, but we aren't they (at least yet) right? What is the level of intervention in your opinions? What are all the factors that go into it?

Difficult to answer. I guess "freer than most" is as good an answer as any. Compared to the idealized free market, not very though. Here's a partial list of things that impede our free market:
•• Occupational Licensing
• Business Permits
• Antitrust Laws
• FDA regulations
• Zoning restrictions
• Labor laws including price floors
• Obamacare requirement
• Taxes including corporate, payroll, sales and excise
• Affirmative action
And so on.

If you want to start a small business and sell something you made, you have to worry about all of the above, which is ridiculous. You should just be able to say "hey, I've got something neat here. Give me five dollars and it's yours!"

I thought my meaning was pretty clear.  Am I speaking English?  Is this thing on? 

I mean, hell even I was getting tired at repeating the point!

It always is.

I also like his explanantion of rights:

Have you ever tried golf?  It's a lovely, yet constantly confounding, way to pass the time.  It also provides both high fiving and back slapping moments.

The T wrote: Golf, a rich man's "sport", you rotten capitalist.

Golf, a rich man's sport? Why it's positively barbaric! I only play badminton and croquet myself.

I only played a proletarian sport: futbol (soccer as they all it in the USofA) 

Psst...Ayn Rand sucks: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/18/ayn-rand-against-conservatism.html

Heh heh, bomb dropped, and now I retreat.