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How can anyone not see that Friedman was a hack apologist for the rich? He LOVED government when it was busy destroying organized labor and kidnapping, torturing, and killing political opponents in Chile. It was only when it tried to provide public sector employment, guarantee social services and a minimum wage, and manage or regulate important industries that shouldn't be left to the whims of profit-seekers that Friedman was against government.
Anyway, no government, least of all Reagan's or Thatcher's, has ever taken Friedman's ideas seriously: the State plays a huge role in every single modern economy. The only question is whether it makes things nice for multi-billionaires and war profiteers or for ordinary people. Friedman's policies came down in favor of the former every time.
