Mike, I enjoyed that, though Hodges does seem to have worked himself into a bit of a lather. Yes, govt. is more a part of GDP since we became, first, a superpower and, then, the only superpower. But, other than niggling thoughts like that, an interesting page, though he could lose "Row, row, row your boat," IMHO. -g-
My opinion has always been the same on the division between govt. and the private sector. The govt., especially the US govt., is the most efficient organization in the world at handling very large, very important tasks, such as defense, public health, scientific innovation, welfare, etc. The private sector is much better at handling things on which a price can be put. The hard part is figuring out which should be which, and the decision is an evolving thing. There was a time when a govt. regulated monopoly was the ONLY logical way to provide phone service. Technology, most of which was developed by govt. backed researchers (mostly for war purposes), has made the idea of low cost competition viable.
So, I don't think any socialist really believes any more that the govt. can deliver candy or scotch or autos to the consumer the way the private sector can. And, I don't think any capitalist really believes that Exxon can handle a showdown with Iraq. The trouble comes when you start talking about medical care, education, etc., where neither sector has ever done an efficient job. MB |
