Conservatives?
An interesting observation related to this John Stossel piece (Lawsuits Make Us Less Safe) from Townhall.com last week.
As someone who is constantly ragging on liberals, the comments here (just scroll down below the article) coming from the opposite end of the political spectrum are, how shall we say ... interesting.
Stosell's point was to highlight the negative economic consequences of the culture of litigation that exists in America today, and to point out how this culture of litigation discourages companies from doing business that might have otherwise saved lives. The comments turned into a debate on the dangers of mercury and vaccinations.
What's most interesting is the anti-corporate thread of conservatism that reared its head in the debate. As anyone who's ever watched Bill O'Reilly knows, there are a great deal of populist conservatives out there who are not pro-business or pro-free market. Some of the logic seems to be of the sort that runs through typical liberal-type comment boards- individual rights versus corporate rights. The problem with such a point of view of course is that it ignores any notion of free exchange between individuals (or individuals and corporations if you must, but remember, corporations are still made up of individuals).
But the question remains, particularly among the rank and file of the conservative movement, is whether conservatives truly believe in the free market. And it is an important question- do conservatives just side with business when it suits them, or do they believe in the market?
As someone who is constantly ragging on liberals, the comments here (just scroll down below the article) coming from the opposite end of the political spectrum are, how shall we say ... interesting.
Stosell's point was to highlight the negative economic consequences of the culture of litigation that exists in America today, and to point out how this culture of litigation discourages companies from doing business that might have otherwise saved lives. The comments turned into a debate on the dangers of mercury and vaccinations.
What's most interesting is the anti-corporate thread of conservatism that reared its head in the debate. As anyone who's ever watched Bill O'Reilly knows, there are a great deal of populist conservatives out there who are not pro-business or pro-free market. Some of the logic seems to be of the sort that runs through typical liberal-type comment boards- individual rights versus corporate rights. The problem with such a point of view of course is that it ignores any notion of free exchange between individuals (or individuals and corporations if you must, but remember, corporations are still made up of individuals).
But the question remains, particularly among the rank and file of the conservative movement, is whether conservatives truly believe in the free market. And it is an important question- do conservatives just side with business when it suits them, or do they believe in the market?
posted by lonely libertarian at 4:45 PM
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