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Re: Brashears on Hanson

In article <wfhummelE23uot.GIE@netcom.com>,
   wfhummel@netcom.com (William F. Hummel) wrote:
>charliew (charliew@hal-pc.org) wrote:
>: In article <32A8AAAB.7FC0@xmission.com>, Jim <msteitz@xmission.com> 
wrote:
>: (BIG CUT)
>: >I also believe we have become hipersensitive to our own material wants.
>: >When people support extravagant ecnomic growth, even when it requires
>: >that our planet face biological meltdown, something is wrong.
>
>: Indeed, something is VERY wrong.  In the U.S., there is a continuing 
drive 
>: to produce more efficient workers.  High efficiency results in more 
goods 
>: and services produced per worker.  If there is not enough demand to 
consume 
>: all of these goods and services, people are fired.  Thus, compulsive 
>: consumerism is built into the free enterprise system.
>
>: Just for a moment, assume that each worker is responsible for consuming 
his 
>: own "production".  It should be obvious that to keep his job, this 
worker 
>: must necessarily find ways to use more resources as he is forced to 
produce 
>: more.  And don't think that this worker has the choice of slowing down. 
 
>: With competition in the marketplace, and many unemployed people waiting 
to 
>: take this worker's job, he has no choice other than to work as hard and 
>: fast as he can.
>
>: I didn't make these rules, but to remain employed, I am more or less 
forced 
>: to live by them.  Despite this, I prefer free enterprise to other 
economic 
>: systems, because there is more freedom of choice and individual 
>: accountability.
>-----------
>The only other economic systems being "unfree enterprise", of which there 
>are today none.  Even Communist Cuba has some free enterprise.  "Free 
>enterprise" comes in all shades.  But they all have some degree of 
>government control.  Fortunately so, because none of us would enjoy living 
>in a system of unrestricted free enterprise.  So what do YOU mean by 
>free enterprise?
>
>William F. Hummel
>
>

This is a very good direct question.

The U.S. went through uncontrolled free enterprise approximately 100 years 
ago.  It didn't work, because it produced huge monopolies which price 
gouged their customers.  Some degree of government regulation is necessary 
to ensure competition and reasonable environmental compliance.  At this 
point, I would like to see some limits to the amount of regulation that is 
being proposed, because there never seems to be an end to the demands for 
ever lower emission standards.  This does not mean that I am 
anti-environmental; it means that I believe that any program can be carried 
to extremes.
References: