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by ucaetano 3068 days ago
> Healthcare is just one example of many (agriculture, energy, telecom, etc.)

That depends on the country. Energy and telecom are quite free markets in many countries, especially with local loop unbundling and separation of generation, transmission and distribution.

And compare that to "Almost nothing is a free market" which you claimed. Now it's the opposite: most markets are free, but some, which depend on restricted physical infrastructure, are not.

Very different from your claim.

1 comments

No - My claim was narrower than that. In essence, that while we tend to think of the USA as very free market, in fact a huge fraction of the US economy is very much not free market. Enough so that any claim about free markets leading to strength in US economy is at least worth a second look.

At any rate I’m obviously not big articulate in the time I have for here, so I’ll leqve it at that.

You literally said: "Almost nothing is a free market".

> in fact a huge fraction of the US economy is very much not free market

Indeed, many industries depend on highly limited resources, such as land, natural resources and so on.

  You literally said: "Almost nothing is a free market".
Yes I did, in a broader context, which it is commonly assumed the reader is following.

The things distorting these markets in the US are typically nothing as simple as land, natural resources, etc... more they are policy decisions and politics. Suggesting otherwise is facile.

That really is the last I'll say on the issue.

> Yes I did, in a broader context, which it is commonly assumed the reader is following.

What does "Almost nothing is a free market" means "in a broader context"?

The context of a subthread that was specifically about the US economy?

We’re not going anywhere where useful now.