Free Market in the Gulf.
Here is something that I don't understand. Why are we not seeing every Democrat in the country saying that the recent BP oil disaster is proof positive- all the proof that the world will ever need- that the endlessly repeated Republican cant that the "free market" can do no wrong, that the free market will produce the best results for all of us, is a gigantic, self-serving lie.
Here we have the free market in action. Here we have corporations freed by Republicans from any kind of regulation or oversight, producing the inevitable result of conservative economic theory: huge profits for the rich, disaster for the rest of us. From now until the end of time, whenever right wingers spout their nonsense about the wonders of the free market, the BP oil disaster should be all the refutation we need- total proof that, when you let people do whatever they damn please, a lot of them are going to turn into crooks in short order, and the rest of us are going to end up paying the price.
Here we have the free market in action. Here we have corporations freed by Republicans from any kind of regulation or oversight, producing the inevitable result of conservative economic theory: huge profits for the rich, disaster for the rest of us. From now until the end of time, whenever right wingers spout their nonsense about the wonders of the free market, the BP oil disaster should be all the refutation we need- total proof that, when you let people do whatever they damn please, a lot of them are going to turn into crooks in short order, and the rest of us are going to end up paying the price.
Comments
George Will used to say that Americans are rhetorically conservative but operationally liberal. Most Americans will declare that they favor the free market and disdain socialism, as long as those words are just words. When it comes to specific policies -- the "operational" things -- they want Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, etc. But God help you if you point out that those things are, in fact, socialism.
They also want regulation, in specific cases where they can see concrete benefits from it -- hygiene codes for restaurants, for example. But God help you if you remind them that such regulation is, in fact, a compromise of free-market principles.
This is a teachable moment, yes. The delicate part is to get the specific message across without hitting the trigger buzzwords that set all the sheep mindlessly bleating "ba-a-a-ad, ba-a-a-ad" and close off their thought processes to the argument. They aren't ready to give up that rhetorical affirmation of laissez-faire. Yet.
and if BP can't fix the leak let's turn and pray to Supply-Side Jesus!