On Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 6:33 AM, Dan M <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Actually, Rand's hero's are in line there too. :-) They are heroes in her > book because they are successful. In reality, the private market failed, > and needs the government...even according to its bible.
I've never read Ayn Rand (at least not more than a few pages)...her writing style does not appeal to me as fiction, I've never seen anything particularly insightful attributed to her. But your statement above is not particularly insightful either. To say that the market failed is either wrong or meaningless. The market is made up of many participants each trying to achieve their own goals. The market as a whole does not have a purpose or goal, and so cannot fail at that goal. Many of the market participants recently failed at their goals, if those goals were to make money or to successfully run a business. But some of the participants did not fail at their goals, if their goals were to profit from the mistakes of others, either by shorting the financial, housing, and auto markets, or by leaching money from tax payers through government bailouts. The private market does not "need" government interference and bailouts, but certainly many individual participants will compete to gain an advantage in any way they can, including accepting bailout money or lobbying for government rules and interference that benefit them at the expense of their competitors. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
