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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: neolib who wrote (123573)	7/6/2005 10:23:39 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 794011

The Pew poll didn't ask about "free trade," it asked about NAFTA and WTO. NAFTA and WTO are not "free trade," per se. They are multilateral trade agreements, aka governments tinkering with free markets. If we had real free trade, we wouldn't need no stinking multilateral trade agreements. Only a liberal would think NAFTA and WTO are "free trade." Freer than the protectionism they replace, yes, but not free.

To: neolib who wrote (123573)	7/6/2005 10:34:02 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 794011

I do agree with what I take to be your larger point, which is that many people who call themselves "conservatives" actually favor big government controlling our lives, not limited government. They don't believe in freedom, neither personal freedom nor economic freedom. Which is why I like Hayek's essay, "Why I am not a Conservative." fahayek.org But I think it's demonstrably true that while leftists believe in personal freedom, for the most part they don't really believe in economic freedom. They think multinational corporations are too big and heartless and must be controlled and forced to become "socially responsible", they hate agribusiness and GMO foods, they want to maximize group benefits at the expense of the individual. "The greatest good for the greatest number" is a Leftist slogan. Not that so-called conservatives always walk the walk. Pay attention to the Unocal votes, that should be instructive. (Although the Chinese rhetoric is so annoying I might vote against them just because they ticked me off. "Correct your mistaken ways" indeed.)