For those of you who desire government centrally controlled economies
 

what causes you to trust government to do it well and in a beneficial manner?

This applies to all of those left of the centerline median. Apparently, you believe a centrally controlled economy is better than a market driven economy. Of course, I would debate you until the cows come home, and use one example.

While China experienced a centrally controlled and dictated economy, it was an ecnomic failure. Only after Deng XioPing implementd free marketstyle reforms did its economy improve and produce sufficient for its peoples. Most of its current problems involve growing too quickly and unwise government controls.

Why do you trust government to do anything it has never done on a large scale in the known history of the world?

What makes you think, maybe next time the morons in government will get it right?

I'm not very far left economically.

But we don't live in a vacuum. I think we need some level of intervention.

Government controls are necessary in cases where there is no economic advantage for corporations to do what is best for our society.

Environmental regulations are one example. You only need to drive through Montana to see what happens when corporations are allowed to operate unregulated.

Do we want market-driven employment? After watching Oklahoma City's three major employers close up shop and send the jobs overseas for cheaper labor, I'm not sure we do.

Do you think monopolies are a good thing? How about corporations injecting massive influence and dinero into our political system?

What do you tell your kids when they lose a soccer game?

I don't think Archaea is saying there should be no regulation.

IMO, there should be a presumption of no intervention except to combat specific problems (such as those listed by BG and SC).

The reason I want a market-driven economy, is because it maximizes the production for all. Sure, outsourcing jobs overseas sucks for those who lost their jobs, but the result is that the products are cheaper for everybody.

I tell my little leaguers when they lose a ball game that the other team played better and if they want to win the next game, they need to play harder and listen to the coach (me).

Then I make them run wind sprints until they all puke. ;)

The main issue that complicates things for me in this debate is that there is a big difference between a global free market and an American free market.

Nowadays, we're encountering new issues for which there is little precedent (global megacorportations, etc).

Hey, I understand the counter-argument. But it's not goods-related (i.e., manufacturing) jobs anymore. It's software development, customer support, medical records, publishing. How far do we want this to go?

I don't think he is either, but he specifically called out all those on the left of the axis as being in support of a centrally-controlled market. Since I was on the left I was responding.

You mean you don't whine about the refs or shrink the size of your own goal so it's harder for the other team to score or try to get away with playing with more than 11 players on the field? What's wrong with you? ;)

As far as it will go. Why do we need to worry about stopping something that is ultimately the best solution for the most people, in terms of obtaining or increasing wealth?