[crusso]

You call it a "tired mantra" and a "meme". If that were the case, then I'd think that you'd destroy my position with data vs a couple of lines of rhetoric.

To what kind of scrutiny are you referring? I'd think that if governments were good at redistributing wealth, one of the many communist countries would have been a resounding success.

Can you point me to one?

I can point you to many information sources that show that economic freedom is closely correlated to average wealth and higher standards of living.