>From: phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu
>Reply-To: extropians@extropy.com
>To: extropians@extropy.com
>Subject: Re: More Green Party
>Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 23:04:00 -0700
>
>
>But most economists would not call Australia or Canada socialist, and would
>call the United States (and Japan) mixed. Japan has a ministry of
>technological development, remember, although I don't know what MITI has
>been
>involved in. And much of the United States' advantage (besides size and
>not
>having wars fought on its own soil) comes from the university system, which
>receives quite a lot of government support.
>
I'd call Japan "state capitalism". I think it works because of the very
statist culture there.
I'd call the US a mix between state capitalism and a free market, depending
on industry (utilities are free market) with some socialism thrown in
(postal service, some aspects of medicine), but with the highest degree of
free market.
>The Internet was a military research project, remember, and funded by DARPA
>and university money for a long time. The New Economy has its roots in
>gov't
>nurturing.
Its roots, yes. But I think these roots could have sprouted elsewhere, and
we'd still have something similar to the internet today if not for it,
possibly evolving from BBSs.
>
>More generally, if you ask for inventions confined to the 20th century,
>none
>of them will come from nations without economic restriction, if you let
>that
>include tariffs, high income taxes, and safety nets.
Mistake on my part. I should have made clear that I was referring to a
general but clear negative correlation between economic restriction and
innovation.
...
>
>And size isn't insignificant. Saying the US produces more inventions than
>Canada and Australia isn't surprising. We do happen to dwarf the
>population
>of any other Western nation.
I bet the results would be the same if you adjust for population.
...
>
>Note I'm not arguing that socialism works or that markets are bad. But
>simplistic black-and-white labelling gets my goat.
Unless referring to the rare thing which really is a black-and-white issue,
I always try to quantify my statements appropriately. Maybe I left it out
too much in this post.
>
>-xx- Damien X-)
---------------------------------------------------
Zeb Haradon (zebharadon@hotmail.com)
My personal webpage:
http://www.inconnect.com/~zharadon/ubunix
A movie I'm directing:
http://www.elevatormovie.com
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