Quote:
Originally Posted by spence
I'd argue it's the "action of reaching" that actually creates the real wealth. Recently India and China are perfect examples, although in both instances their governments provide heavy subsidies. The US certainly has had this spirit...
Choosing China as a perfect example of wealth creation may explain why you seem to prefer large centralized government to a federally dispersed republic in which government is by consent of the people and in which individual freedom is the source and object of power. China may be trying to mimic capitalistic free market methods to raise standards of living, but it is doing so in a very top down controlled way. If we in the US were "allowed" to "reach" for wealth via the Chinese government's method, it would not only quash consolidation of wealth, but severly limit the distribution of wealth to "the people." And if the "spirit" of America was government subsidy, we may well have never got to a point where the government was wealthy enough to distribute subsidization. And now that it is, I suppose you think it would be wise to mimic the Chinese method.
You really don't know that...what I do know is that the choices that have been made have worked out pretty well overall considering all the issues we do currently face.
-spence
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Yes, I believe rather than know that individual freedom is the driving force of our power. I believe that power derived from government control creates strong governments, not strong people. Our Revolution broke from the history of government over people to government by the people. I believe that is what catapulted America to superior economic power. We could have comfortably remained within the monarchy, but we preferred freedom, and that changed the world. And the true strength of our system is not merely economic, but our greater control of our own lives, which makes us, of necessity, a stronger people. And as long as we are jealous of that freedom, we will willingly band together to protect it. But as we gradually give over our individual power to the collective power of government, we become individually weaker and the government becomes stronger over a weaker country. And the weaker we become as individuals, the greater becomes the siren call of that stronger government to "subsidize" us. Maybe we can become more like China.