18 Apr 09
Originally posted by KazetNagorraWord.
In the end, all the Milton Friedman fetishists do. He was devoutly anti-democracy.
In 1973, the Chilean military overthrew the constitutional government of socialist Salvador Allende, proceeding to imprison, torture, and murder dissidents by the thousands. The dictatorship's chief economic advisors, known as the "Chicago Boys," had been trained in the University of Chicago's economics department, where Friedman was the most important figure. Friedman himself visited Chile in 1975, giving a series of lectures on "free market" economics, meeting personally with Pinochet, and soon after writing the dictator a lengthy letter advocating a "shock program" for the Chilean economy. Friedman's actions were widely viewed as an endorsement of the dictatorship, its notorious human-rights violations notwithstanding, and he later met with protests at home and abroad. While many obituaries for Friedman mentioned the influence of his "free market" ideas on Chile, few bothered to note the contradiction—a self-styled champion of individual liberty with a weak spot for an oppressive and bloody dictatorship. The New York Times' obituary for Friedman referred to the controversy over the Chile visit as no more than a "bump in the road" for him.
Friedman's relationship to the Chilean dictatorship, however, was no mere anomaly in a lifetime otherwise devoted to individual freedom. Rather, it shows an enormous blind spot in Friedman's conception of liberty. Friedman registered no protest against the dictatorship's human-rights violations in his letter to Pinochet, though he did manage to denounce the "trends toward socialism that started forty years ago, and reached their logical—and terrible—climax in the Allende regime," and to praise Pinochet for the dictatorship's "extremely wise" actions to "reverse this trend." In a famous 1982 column in Newsweek, Friedman described Chile under the dictatorship not only as an "economic miracle," despite the dramatic rise in poverty and inequality under the regime, but also as an "even more amazing political miracle." "A military regime," Friedman wrote, "has supported reforms that reduce sharply the role of the state and replace control from the top with control from the bottom." This supposed reduction in the power of the state, of course, ignored the dictatorship's criminalization of political parties and labor unions, its repression against public assembly and protest, and its practice of "disappearing" dissidents. In Friedman's worldview, it would appear, the dictatorship's "deregulation of motor transport" was a great triumph for human liberty, while state-sanctioned kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder were not worth troubling about.
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2007/0107reuss.html
18 Apr 09
Originally posted by no1marauderIf what he was doing was going to fix it you may have had a point,
The people chose a President in November 2008 and overwhelmingly support his policies to fight the economic disaster he inherited.
but how many times have you ever saw going deeper into debt as a
means of getting out of it? The Bush/Obama bail out is just both
parties screwing up the country, Bush/Obama are not going after the
root cause to much of this *government involvement" in forcing bad
loans, they went after the systems of what is wrong. The Bush/Obama
bail out and cries of wrong doing were very selective, didn’t hear
complaints about government getting a pay raise, or Fanny and
Freddy getting I believe about 210 million in bonus’ either.
Kelly
18 Apr 09
Originally posted by KellyJayThe problem was never "too much government involvement".
If what he was doing was going to fix it you may have had a point,
but how many times have you ever saw going deeper into debt as a
means of getting out of it? The Bush/Obama bail out is just both
parties screwing up the country, Bush/Obama are not going after the
root cause to much of this *government involvement" in forcing bad
loans, they went after ...[text shortened]... a pay raise, or Fanny and
Freddy getting I believe about 210 million in bonus’ either.
Kelly
18 Apr 09
Originally posted by KellyJayWhen the right wing critics have some actual policy prescriptions that might actually lead to a way out of the recession, let me know.
If what he was doing was going to fix it you may have had a point,
but how many times have you ever saw going deeper into debt as a
means of getting out of it? The Bush/Obama bail out is just both
parties screwing up the country, Bush/Obama are not going after the
root cause to much of this *government involvement" in forcing bad
loans, they went after ...[text shortened]... a pay raise, or Fanny and
Freddy getting I believe about 210 million in bonus’ either.
Kelly
An expansionary fiscal policy is a necessity at this time. In the long run, the tax system must be reformed to make it more progressive, the health care system needs to be reformed to make it less costly and more efficient, the wars and excessive military spending needs to be curbed, etc. etc. etc. I still have hopes that this administration might follow these necessary paths; I have no confidence that the Republican-organized protestors have any clue as to what is necessary to put this country's house in order.
18 Apr 09
Originally posted by no1marauderPlease the govenment didn't take the time to read a trillion dollar
When the right wing critics have some actual policy prescriptions that might actually lead to a way out of the recession, let me know.
An expansionary fiscal policy is a necessity at this time. In the long run, the tax system must be reformed to make it more progressive, the health care system needs to be reformed to make it less costly and ...[text shortened]... rganized protestors have any clue as to what is necessary to put this country's house in order.
bail out bill and they passed it, you think we should now turn them
lose on our health care? Our health care system isn't perfect, yet it
is still one of the best in the world for all its flaws.
Kelly
18 Apr 09
Originally posted by KellyJayNo, the problem is not "too much government", the problem is a crappy system and lacking democracy.
The problem is almost always to much government when the
govenment picks and chooses winners and losers! If the playing field
isn't level for everyone it is not level for anyone.
Kelly
18 Apr 09
Originally posted by KellyJayWe have the most expensive health care system in the world by any measure (per capita, % of GNP, etc. etc.) and we get results inferior to many other systems. Almost 50 million people have no health insurance at all. And costs are rising at an alarming rate.
Please the govenment didn't take the time to read a trillion dollar
bail out bill and they passed it, you think we should now turn them
lose on our health care? Our health care system isn't perfect, yet it
is still one of the best in the world for all its flaws.
Kelly
Yup, do nothing - the standard right wing "solution" when the capitalist system messes up. The same "solution" you are proposing for the recession. No thanks.
18 Apr 09
2 edits
Originally posted by KellyJayNo offence but you do have to travel more and get out of your red white and blue eyed tinted utopian zone view of America the Beautiful. No seriously I dont mean to criticize your fair country, but trip down under and walk into an ER room of one of our major hospitals and take it from there and if you still think you got a better deal then ce la vie.
Our health care system isn't perfect, yet it
is still one of the best in the world for all its flaws.
Kelly