Market Religions

At the expense of saying the obvious, let's talk a bit about what we want (I mean all of us) when we say we want a free market. I write this because I am sick and tired of the conservative who cries "socialist" at every possible government intervention. This has a chilling effect on the continual dialogue around issues that could bring positive change. To avoid this, let's begin by having 99.9% of the people in this country admit to being a socialist (as for the rest- ignore them).

Let's take socialism to mean government intervention into economic freedoms, such as regulation, taxes and public ownership to produce communal good. If you are not a socialist, you do not believe:

• Public health is something to invest in. Let's get rid of spraying for mosquitos, after all, you can buy Off on the shelves.
• An uninsured man bleeding on the steps of a public hospital has right to emergency care. That wound draining the man's life source doesn't merit the public's charity.
• If one can't pay for his/her child's schooling, the child should not suffer illiteracy. An ignorant society must seem to have little long term drawbacks.
• An individual has no right to pollute the ater supply of thousands of his fellow citizens. One have a right to do with my property whatever one likes. If that means letting massive amounts of mercury seep into the ground water supply that we all must drink from, well, that's his right.

If you are ready to rid the country of environmental regulations and all publicly supported health and education, go away. If not, congratulations! You're a socialist! You believe in community goods!

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, we can start having some more rational discussions. Okay, lefties can start. What's that you said? Oh yes, I agree, sometimes outsourcing and private administration of public aims may be more efficient. Those on the right, can we sit and talk and say, "Yes, an initiative may cost taxpayer money or require regulation but that there are things that we actually value that don't show up in our W-2's"? We already agreed we'll pay to have an educated citizenry and not watch people die on the street. Care to talk about air that's nice to breath? How about preventative health care for all those kids who have poor parents and haven't yet had the chance to drop out and earn a pay-check? Perhaps we can talk about how much that costs and what that's worth to us? (and also be open to different techniques to solving the problem)

Or am I just a socialist?