Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Why do so many people confuse supply-side economics propaganda with reality?

Government interference in the market isn't socialism, it's regulation. It's not socialism when the government ensures that companies have to compete fairly amongst eachother, minimise environmental hazards, safety test pharmaceuticals or respect labour laws. Even anti-trust laws or price controls aren't socialist. They're collectivistic, because they look after the greater good, but so are charities, some churches and , ideally, the justice system. None of those are "socialist".

Socialism (and only the statist variety, at that) is when government owns (part of) the means of production, and not even always in those cases, either. The US postal service isn't "socialist", it's a state-run public service. NASA isn't "socialist", it's a government agency funded with public funds.



Because Americans have been propogandized their entire lives




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: