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Sunday
Jun152008

Allies against crony capitalism found in an unexpected place

I find much to agree with in this post on The Next Right, a blog dedicated to discussion of how the GOP can rescue itself doctrinally and win elections.  And it's not just because the post uses my favorite quotation from Adam Smith.  The point is that today politicians in both parties routinely choose conferring benefits on particular businesses over maintaining a healthy environment for competitive enterprise in general.  If government does nothing else with respect to enterprise, it must make and enforce sound rules of the game. 

Using the antitrust laws and agencies like the FCC to preserve and stimulate competition used to be taken seriously by both parties--expressly for the purpose of preserving a competitive playing field.  But since about 1981 there has been a growing, and now near total, capitulation to rent seeking and crony capitalism in the US.  The games are mostly played without referees.  The inmates are running the asylum.  The fox is guarding the chickens.  Fill in your own metaphor here. 

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