What does a Free Market mean to you?

[niemivh]

Please post what you think defines a "Free Market", using a moderate level of detail.  No two sentence answers.

 

[kokjo]

Please post what you think defines a "Free Market", using a moderate level of detail. 

no regulations at all.

No two sentence answers.

fuck you! my choice not yours!

[niemivh]

Please post what you think defines a "Free Market", using a moderate level of detail. 

no regulations at all.

No two sentence answers.

fuck you! my choice not yours!

Sometimes I wonder if this whole forum is full of trolls or if I am trolling myself for expecting something worthwhile on occasion.

[Trader Steve]

Please post what you think defines a "Free Market", using a moderate level of detail. 

no regulations at all.

No two sentence answers.

fuck you! my choice not yours!

Freedom of choice. I think the above sums it up nicely.  For more detail I suggest reading "My Philosophy of Liberty" at http://www.economicsandliberty.com

[kokjo]

Please post what you think defines a "Free Market", using a moderate level of detail. 

no regulations at all.

No two sentence answers.

fuck you! my choice not yours!

Freedom of choice. I think the above sums it up nicely.  For more detail I suggest reading "My Philosophy of Liberty" at http://www.economicsandliberty.com

+1

[evoorhees]

"Free market" means no person or group has the right to force any other person or group to make any economic decision.  This leaves room for government involvement in a very narrow field - namely contract enforcement and theft and violence prevention/prosecution.

In practice, this would have a few key features:
- No minimum wage
- No taxation of trade or income
- No import/export restrictions
- No central control of monetary systems, no central bank
- No FDIC
- No "consumer safety regulations"
- No building codes
- No FDA
- No prohibition of substances
- No prohibition of voluntary action (incl. gambling and prostitution, etc.)

The United States of America is not even close to a "free market." It is a socialist/corporatist nation, not a capitalist nation (the fact that it's not as socialist as other places doesn't make it capitalist). 

[Trader Steve]

"Free market" means no person or group has the right to force any other person or group to make any economic decision.  This leaves room for government involvement in a very narrow field - namely contract enforcement and theft and violence prevention/prosecution.

In practice, this would have a few key features:
- No minimum wage
- No taxation of trade or income
- No import/export restrictions
- No central control of monetary systems, no central bank
- No FDIC
- No "consumer safety regulations"
- No building codes
- No FDA
- No prohibition of substances
- No prohibition of voluntary action (incl. gambling and prostitution, etc.)

The United States of America is not even close to a "free market." It is a socialist/corporatist nation, not a capitalist nation (the fact that it's not as socialist as other places doesn't make it capitalist). 

+1

[JoelKatz]

I would just add to evorhees comment that he only focused on half the picture. You also need a strong political system including police and courts that can deal with cases of fraud, intimidation, and theft. You need a society that respects property rights and holds people to their word. There are a large number of things that you must not prohibit to have a free market, but to have an effective free market, there are a few things you must strongly prohibit and those prohibitions must be enforced.

[cunicula]

Free market is a meaningless construct. I'll call it a set of regulations that maximizes long run economic growth per capita. China appears to have an effective free market by my definition.

[Quix]

A free market is an impossible ideal, a system with no checks and balances to keep things stable. No society in the history of the world has ever had a successful free market-based economy and I don't think that's likely to change.

[kokjo]

A free market is an impossible ideal, a system with no checks and balances to keep things stable. No society in the history of the world has ever had a successful free market-based economy and I don't think that's likely to change.

we never had had a free market.

the liberalism people are screaming: we what free market. we never had a real free market.
the communism people are screaming: we want communism. we never had read communism.

[Murwa]

"Free market" means no person or group has the right to force any other person or group to make any economic decision.  This leaves room for government involvement in a very narrow field - namely contract enforcement and theft and violence prevention/prosecution.

In practice, this would have a few key features:
- No minimum wage
- No taxation of trade or income
- No import/export restrictions
- No central control of monetary systems, no central bank
- No FDIC
- No "consumer safety regulations"
- No building codes
- No FDA
- No prohibition of substances
- No prohibition of voluntary action (incl. gambling and prostitution, etc.)

The United States of America is not even close to a "free market." It is a socialist/corporatist nation, not a capitalist nation (the fact that it's not as socialist as other places doesn't make it capitalist). 

Finally i can build my own nuclear plant full of plutonium rods and then blow it up.

Game over mankind.

[kokjo]

"Free market" means no person or group has the right to force any other person or group to make any economic decision.  This leaves room for government involvement in a very narrow field - namely contract enforcement and theft and violence prevention/prosecution.

In practice, this would have a few key features:
- No minimum wage
- No taxation of trade or income
- No import/export restrictions
- No central control of monetary systems, no central bank
- No FDIC
- No "consumer safety regulations"
- No building codes
- No FDA
- No prohibition of substances
- No prohibition of voluntary action (incl. gambling and prostitution, etc.)

The United States of America is not even close to a "free market." It is a socialist/corporatist nation, not a capitalist nation (the fact that it's not as socialist as other places doesn't make it capitalist). 

Finally i can build my own nuclear plant full of plutonium rods and then blow it up.

Game over mankind.

just beacuse you have a free market, does not mean that you have the skills to build a nuclear bomb

[markm]

The problem is "they" (not sure which/who "they") keep trying to sell the idea that buying their idea is better that taking their idea and their wallet and maybe even checking how edible they are.

They also complain when some rambunctious customer offers three bullets through the head in return for their corpse.

Then they start claiming they can hire Rambo to put more bullets faster into someone before someone puts three bullets through their head.

Pretty soon I have to wonder how their mercenaries proposal is less bad than the mercenaries who already have all the guns...

-MarkM-

[322i0n]

The United States of America is not even close to a "free market." It is a socialist/corporatist nation, not a capitalist nation (the fact that it's not as socialist as other places doesn't make it capitalist). 

America is closer to Free Market Fascism. Those with the most power control through force, coercion or persuasion those with the less power.

[payb.tc]

Finally i can build my own nuclear plant full of plutonium rods and then blow it up.

Game over mankind.

6 billion other people will have the freedom to come and stop you by any means they see fit.

[Murwa]

just because you have a free market, does not mean that you have the skills to build a nuclear bomb

Not bomb because bomb has limited radius . Plutonium can be dispersed over entire planet thanks to jet streams.

We live on single interconnected world, someone else's freedom is interfering with your own even if you dont see it.


"6 billion other people will have the freedom to come and stop you by any means they see fit."

There you go , your first regulation.

"You cant buil nuclear plants full of obsolete fuel type based on plutonium".

Just so i wont get accused of hijacking , my definition of free market is building extremely deadly technologies that can wipe out entire mankind or some of it , in name of profit. Or doing the hell i want without regardless of the consequences.

[payb.tc]

just because you have a free market, does not mean that you have the skills to build a nuclear bomb

Not bomb because bomb has limited radius . Plutonium can be dispersed over entire planet thanks to jet streams.

We live on single interconnected world, someone else's freedom is interfering with your own even if you dont see it.


"6 billion other people will have the freedom to come and stop you by any means they see fit."

There you go , your first regulation.

"You cant buil nuclear plants full of obsolete fuel type based on plutonium".

it's not a regulation, it's a self-defense against what i perceive as your violence towards me.

you are free to try to build it, i am free to try to stop you, you are free to try to stop me from stopping you, etc, etc.

[kokjo]

just because you have a free market, does not mean that you have the skills to build a nuclear bomb

Not bomb because bomb has limited radius . Plutonium can be dispersed over entire planet thanks to jet streams.

We live on single interconnected world, someone else's freedom is interfering with your own even if you dont see it.


"6 billion other people will have the freedom to come and stop you by any means they see fit."

There you go , your first regulation.

"You cant buil nuclear plants full of obsolete fuel type based on plutonium".

no. i did not make a regulation. i did just say that you are unskillful. and i don't think anybody would sell you plutonium, they would not be stupid enough. you because there is a free market, it does not mean people are selling.

[Murwa]

you are free to try to build it, i am free to try to stop you, you are free to try to stop me from stopping you, etc, etc.

And now government is free to own your ass and you are free to stop it and they are free to put you in fail etc,etc , do you consider it free market ? How circular logic is that.