Freddy:
Who can then charge you what they like to cure you of whatever ails you. Without having to ‘kowtow to socialist nonsense’. If you can afford it, then at least you’re ok.
I’m sorry but that shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how markets work.
Correct. If “who can then charge you” were entirely free to charge whatever they wanted because food, like health is a necessary commodity, then I suppose food producers would be gouging the heck out of human beings because without food we would die.
That isn’t what happens, however. Foods in great quantity, variety and abundance are widely available in free market economies. Producers necessarily adjust to what the market will bear and support. If they charge too much it won’t be purchased. Competitors will come on stream and supply products at cheaper prices because they innovate and streamline production. Competitors also bring into markets new products from other countries which have saturated their markets.
People will die without food. The fact that it is such a needed commodity ensures a reliable market and mitigated risks to innovating and undercutting competitors. The markets correct pricing, because suppliers cannot charge more than the markets will bear. You can try to charge $10 for an apple, but you will be left with a rotting mess. The same would happen with health care. The need would be balanced by the supply, not by a central ministry in the government.
If someone thinks “socialist nonsense” is nonsense, then they may wish to explain why the food supply in Venezuela is such as it is. Last I heard, the zoos have been cleared of edible meats.
It is there in Venezuela that the mantra, “If you can afford it, then at least you’re ok,” is fully on display. In Venezuela it is the 10% affiliated with the socialist regime that “can afford it.” The rest of the population cannot.
You are correct, there is a fundamental misunderstanding of how the markets work in play here. It is the socialists who claim they can “cure you of whatever ails you.”
My basic question is whether crony capitalism or crony socialism would be the worst option. Given that in socialism the state controls all, having a “crony” elite class merely means those with wealth know exactly who to pay to have everything go their way.
We live in a fallen world. Centralization of power, especially in an age where technology enables massive social influence and control, is a huge mistake. Mitigation of hegemony is only possible by distributing the power of governance as widely as possible so actual control cannot become focused to a few individuals or one politburo.
