Are you freaking shitting me? Are you for real? Wall Street "works"? Since when? When was the last time that Wall St. actually added value to the overall economy, rather than sucking out all the value from it to enrich its sociopathic self, and dragging the rest of the country down with it? Have you even been paying attention to what's been going on these past few months? Although, anyone could have seen it for years prior to this meltdown.

It was the very lack of regulation--i.e. the free market--that caused this meltdown on Wall St., and thus the economy as a whole, and you actually want to use THAT as an example of where it works? That's like using the tainted Chinese milk and toy scandal as an example of how lack of oversight works.

Dude, I've worked on Wall St., at some of the biggest players. And while theoretically (and sometimes even actually), it offers value, and provides a necessary service, without which capitalism (of which there are many varieties, not all of which are laissez-faire) would not be possible in its present form--or the modern world for that matter--the more deregulated it's become, the less of a positive value it's provided the economy, and the more of a negative effect it's had on it. You want to disprove that, be my guest. But be prepared to lie.

Oh, wait, you've been doing that all along. Silly me.

You're not going to try to pull that CRA and ACORN crap on me, are you?

I know this is a liberal site but ever since the Reagan tax cuts the top combine federal and state income tax rates in this country has been less than 50% and we have had continuous economic growth over the last 25 years.

How would you like define economic growth? Does the national debt as a percentage of GDP factor into your discussion? I'd be very interested in your take on this:

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/10/conservatism_debt.php

or, link at sig

Hayek and Friedman and Paul the mighties! All bow down before their sociopathic brilliance! Rules and regulations are for wimps! Real men and women don't need no stinkin' rules!

Sorry for hurting your precious pony-chasing feelings, but your school's time is up, having been proven--yet again--to be utterly wrong (except, of course, in theory, where it rules!). Your entire argument appears to be that so long as you exclude those for whom it has not worked--i.e. up to 90% of the population--free market capitalism is da bomb!

Ron Paul is a crazy person, and a hypocrite. The fact that he was right about the war, while admirable, is irrelevant to this matter. He says that he's for keeping the government out of our lives, except when he wants to enforce his delusional religious beliefs about 2 week old embryos having divine souls on the rest of us. He's no libertarian. He's a bible-thumping crazy who wants to take us back to the 19th century. You know, back when laissez-faire worked so well--for the top 10%. Not so much for the folks that Jacob Riis hung out with.

You people perplex me. So out of touch with reality, living in ideological bubbles.

And I refuted you damn well, point by point. If you can't read--or prefer to lie--I can't help that.

Magical thinking. It's what makes you people tick. Impossible to argue with, by definition. It's just another kind of religion, i.e. inherently irrational and impossible to refute by mere logic.

Have fun with your magical ponies and toys. Tell me, do they talk back to you? What do they say? Do they whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Why can't I hear them too? Poor unworthy me!

but just because the Barney Frank Democratic mindset doesn't mind bending over, doesn't mean the rest of us want to.

Color me won over, dude! Or should I say sweet thang?

pieceofcake (October 4, 2008 02:40 PM):

...and so i FELT - just felt - that you [ondelette] should not play stupid political games with this issue -

Well, here's the thing, pieceofdadacake: ondelette has put forth a coherent and credible argument for one approach to the current crisis of finance capitalism, and you haven't.

Respectfully, you might want to incorporate from time to time a little more thinking into your FEELING posts, especially before you start knocking the thoughtful efforts of others.

Dada is as dada do, doodah day?

Feeling uninformed by thinking is limitedly interesting, isn't it?

Surreally, it's something to think about, n'est-ce pas?

Kovie: You're using Wall St. as an example of where the free market works?

How? Who wrote that? Where?

Never before in human history has an industry received more from government than Wall Street. We have fought wars to benefit the corrupt bastards there.

However, it is true that open markets (if only we had that) send valuable signals and set the price that companies should be at when governments do not interfere.

Are you freaking shitting me? Are you for real? Wall Street "works"? Since when? When was the last time that Wall St. actually added value to the overall economy, rather than sucking out all the value from it to enrich its sociopathic self, and dragging the rest of the country down with it? Have you even been paying attention to what's been going on these past few months? Although, anyone could have seen it for years prior to this meltdown. ... -- kovie

As I already wrote. What are you on about? Trying to prove that you have no reading ability at all? I think you have done a fine job there.

I thought you said you were patient? Read the link yet? What about the book? Amazon ship it already? And you read it?

You fight against the monsters that are in your imagination and you seem to feel good about that. However, just saying let Obama run the economy is not really much of an answer.

The Austrian School told the commies why they would fail as early as the 20s; and the Polish were gentlemen enough to thank Mises and try to cure the glaring problem. Well, it took a while but Mises was proven correct. The whole system collapsed for the reason he gave. (do you know what it is?)

The Americans have been told what is coming for decades by the same school; and get laughed at by fools (some here who can not even read) who think that economic laws like TANSTAAFL do not count if a Democratic president is in charge.

Odd that one who cries "liar" turns around and puts words in my mouth --- I know Glenn hates it when trolls do that to him. Me? I do not like it much either.