Reply #14: I guess I start with the idea that our markets are not really "free." [View All]

[RainDog]

it's not a free market when oil cos are subsidized. alternative energy providers do not compete on a level playing field with lobbyists making sure oil cos are the favored sons. so prices for vacuum tube solar water heaters, for instance (I just saw the application of this on this old house.. I'm a pbs junkie these days - the tubes can be rotated out if one of them breaks, so maintenance is cheaper if part of the whole breaks, etc.) cannot rely upon that whole "economy of scale" idea that their products will be more affordable.

if we paid a price for fuel that reflected its real cost to us in other areas of life - then alternative energy could be more competitive. Van Jones talks about his concern that the "green revolution" is going to leave out the poor for just these sorts of reasons. And by all previous examples, he's right to worry.

But govt. should, imo, give favored status to alternative energy b/c, among other things, it creates a new manufacturing base and market. but again, the govt is too beholden to big oil money, etc.

as far as rational or not - the "wisdom of crowds" idea is interesting because, in order for this idea to work, everyone's input has to be of equal value. this doesn't mean that everything anyone thinks is "all good," but that one pov is not favored.

We do not have a govt set up for this.

The reason the "wisdom of crowds" supposedly works is because all the various types and sources of information either support or cancel each other out. What I see in the U.S. govt is a suppression of a huge part of "the crowd" by both republicans and democrats.

Because of this, economic policies, imo, will fail because certain groups have favored status (or, Trump has 2 billion in value for his ideas while a homeless person has none. ) Of course, Trump was born into wealth and his success is a lot like George Bush's - he was born on third base and pretends he hit a home run.

On another thread I posted the Pew report that noted that the U.S. offers far less social mobility than other western democracies - the ways in which people who are not born with privilege are systematically shut out is a reflection of America's refusal to act as a force for empowerment of its citizens. No universal health care is a part of this problem, as is the influence of fundamentalist religion in our schools and govt. A lack of affordable higher education is another barrier in the U.S.

If our citizens had the same sorts of "vote of confidence" from our govt, I think we would see people do wonderful things. the nasty, hobbesean universe of the "elite" in this nation is shameful.

(oh, and if you buy into "elite theory" - Obama has been "allowed in" to demonstrate it is possible for a black person to become part of the elite. If he governs as a sort of Clinton democratic conservative, I'd say that assessment is true.

I hope we see something different...I hope our leaders are prescient enough to act for the good of this nation and not themselves. I realize I shouldn't hold my breath.)