Comments on: Republican Senator Expresses Support For Mandatory Health Insurance

By: Alpheus

Alpheus — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:46:56 +0000

Market failure? Markets *fail* when we put ridiculous restrictions on them! If it weren’t for WWII wage caps forcing health care to be an “employment benefit”, State insurance mandates, Medicare and Medicaid “We’ll only pay the doctor so much, and the patient pays nothing” policies, health insurance and health care would be A LOT cheaper!

We have this tendency to load up the “Free” Market with lots of restrictions, and then complain when it “fails”–when we ought to be amazed that the market will work at all with these restrictions!

@tony smith: just because we’ve “socialized” fire, police, and military, doesn’t mean that we have to have these as government-controlled services. There are fire departments, even today, that are established on a voluntary, community-based basis; Iceland, for about three centuries, had a private police system; and Switzerland provides a model for a private Militia system.

There are A LOT of things that we accept as “absolutely must be provided by government” that can, and probably should, be handled privately.

By: Norm

Norm — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:25:47 +0000

The problem with “room for governmental intervention” is that it is the camel’s nose under the tent. That’s why we have a Constitution that limits where the camel can stick his nose. Unfortunately some believe in a living Constitution and the general welfare cause that allows the camel to shit where you eat.

By: John222

John222 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:19:44 +0000

It depends on what type of business and how much one wants to earn and in what amount of time. Many successful enterprises started with very little. Apple, Google, AOL are some big ones, but I know many business owners , myself included who started with little more than a willingness to work.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:37:11 +0000

Free markets still have barriers to entry; not all barriers stem from government intervention. An example is startup capital. Even in a free market it will cost something to set up a business.

By: John222

John222 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:26:48 +0000

In a free market there would be little or no barriers to entry and monopolies would be difficult to maintain without government interference.

High prices are not a market failure. How else would scarce resources be allocated?

By: tony smith

tony smith — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:20:57 +0000

Apparently, you never heard of the concept of a “market failure.” Frist clearly said he accepted markets — except when they fail.

Even capitalistic, free market economists accept the notion that in some instances, markets fail to deliver goods at all (price would be too high) or to allow competition (in the case of a monopoly or barriers to entry). There is room for governmental intervention.

Do you believe in police and fire departments? How about the military? These are not “private” markets.