Debate: Is Government The Problem Or The Solution?
Yaron recently debated Demos’s David Callahan in Los Angeles. The debate was moderated by Mickey Kaus. (The event starts about 20 minutes in to the video.)
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6 Comments to “Debate: Is Government The Problem Or The Solution?”
Definitely, I strongly agreed with Ronald Reagan´s statement: Government cannot help us to solve the problems, government is the problem!!!!!
Yaron,
It sounds like David was becoming conviced toward the end of the questioning that he was now open to free market solutions in some areas. Good work!
-Mark
For David regarding equality: How much is too much and who decides who gets what portion of ‘shared economic growth?’ How will we have a dynamic economic environment, where everyone can grow toward the best they are willing and desire to achieve, if gov’t decides who gets the redistribution of capital wealth? In a capitalist society here would always be college loans and grants especially for the poorer individuals because there would be a market for it. If gov’t isn’t taking from some individuals to redistribute to others (at some arbitrary bureaucrats decision), wouldn’t private firms create businesses offering low interest loans and grants because there is a demand for it? And those who decidedly wanted to improve their lives would have access to this. Plus, the cost of going to school would be considerably less than the gov’t run institutions we have today.
I have seen that when a college education is just given to them, many become complacent, after all, it’s not their money? I saw examples of this in the 70’s and 80’s. It was called the 10-year plan. Young people milked the system and stayed in college as long as possible as long as the gov’t was paying for it. They didn’t want to grow up and get a job .. I think this is indicative of the system itself. In a private market, if the money wasn’t being used efficiently, they would not get a renewal on their loan. They would have much more incentive to stay in school and major in something that they could at least make money when they graduated. In other words, they would either be motivated to finish college or drop out and get a ‘real’ job. The system really does perpetuate laziness and poor decision-making with all this redistribution and giving away ‘free-stuff.’
It was frightening that Mr. Callahan’s knowledge of history (World and US) only seemed to go back to about the 1960s. All of his assumptions and arguments were derived from this point forward - as if it were the given. In contrast, Dr. Brook referred to facts that went back 200+ years - to the founding of this country. In my opinion this was no contest at all - facts prevailed.
Unfortunately, as Dr. Brook pointed out, it appears that a slight but growing majority of the people of the US agree with the position of Mr. Callahan.
We desperately needed “Free Market Revolution.”
I had to scream at David’s spurious claim that he agrees with Yaron in eliminating all subsidies to all industries. After just talking for an hour about helping people pay for education, mortgages, infrastructure, etc. etc.???
I, for one, am not fooled by misdirections and sleights of hand. When you give people “free” money who then immediately turn around (by requirement) and give it to an industry, that is a subsidy! College loans, federal insured mortgages, food stamps, cash for clunkers, “shovel ready” projects, and all the other garbage coming from Washington ARE SUBSIDIES (to the education industry, to the housing industry, to the food industry, to the auto industry, to the construction industry. . .).
On another note, I found the Indian immigrant to be the exclamation point on the whole debate. The guy whose father read by streetlight, whose company paid for his education, who left India for opportunity (right after Yaron talks about 19th century folks leaving their homes, never to see their family again, for nothing other than freedom). And he never asked for a handout, hand-up, or hand-over? Like a hero straight out of an Ayn Rand novel.