Is ProgArchives still an AnCap forum, primarily?

Read a book recently that laid out how so much of the technology we use today, ranging from health to computers, was started by government initiative. Either funding, loans or direct R&D, or even stuff that comes from a result of military...the pieces were there thanks to government and people took them, built stuff with it and run off to a fortune. 

Basically: It'd be like someone making a bunch of random metal pieces and individuals technologies, leaving it at a park, then someone comes, takes em and builds a smart phone with it. The author noted this happened far less in Europe, and thus it's not coincidence they have had lower innovation. 

So while private enterprise may be a driving factor, perhaps more credit should be given to government which enabled it to happen at all. Also, for those who want lesser government, perhaps we should be wary where those cuts fall. 

DARPA is indeed mentioned as well as a bunch of other things. Blanking off the top of my head but it was usually stuff like how company X had a loan early on, how Y's algorithm is thanks to a grant, or research from somewhere. An obvious one is Tesla who had a government loan. 

The author wasn't opposed to this btw, she mainly just laid out how it is, and actually advocated the gov taking a more activist role. She did conclude by saying since the gov is such a big investor and many dont often pan out, they should get a piece of successful projects, like directly through owning stock or part of it. 

That last part is a matter of personal debate, I'm fine with people running with what the gov may lay down but it was quite interesting, and certainly took a bit of a swing at the Ayn Rand type notion of glorious geniuses who do it all on their own with no help, and free markets being this soup of bubbling brilliance. Again not that there isn't amounts of that or even a motivating factor for people, but we gotta understand the complexity of innovation.