[quote=urbanrealtor]I challenge you to paint a large world-ranked economy that functioned on true free-market practice and had a functional democratic state.
Ever.
In history.
Even once.
No Ayn Rand (or Heinlein) does not count.
For that matter I challenge you to name the biggest economy ever that fit those criteria.
I don’t say this just to be rhetorical.
If you can find one I am willing to listen.
Last I checked though, it is not a coincidence that liberal democracy (as in classical not contemporary liberalism) sprung up around the same time as industry. Democracy exists as a political check on capitalism. The free market is the opposite of democracy because it involves unequal voting. Two people’s “wealth votes” are by definition not equal.
Please refrain from using “sheeple”, “our country was founded on…”, “you liberals…”, or anything about Ron Paul. [/quote]
I would say the emergence of the entire internet is the closest thing to a free market we have ever seen.
As will happen in free markets, an economic cycle boomed and busted in this industry (some may say it was an artifact of Fed policy, but lets just say, “it happened”). Some call this boom/bust a short-coming. I just see it as a part of life. What is the big deal? But, you know what. It’s still here and it’s pretty nifty and it moved so fast that it emerged with minimal regulation.
