- Sep 2020
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www.nationalaffairs.com www.nationalaffairs.com
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Arelatedtouchstoneofmarketeconomicsistheideathatmostpeoplearebetteratspendingtheirownmoneythansomebodyelseisatspendingitforthem.Sometimesthisisdirectlyelevatedintoanethicalprinciple:theconsumer'srighttomakehisownmistakes.Butusuallyitissimplythatgivingapoorfamilyashoppingcartfilledfromtheshelvesofasupermarketisnotasgoodasgivingthemthemoneyandthecartandlettingthemdotheirownshop-ping.Theideaisthattheywillgetmoreforyourmoneyiftheygettospendit.Agivenamountofyourmoneywilldomoregoodforthefamilyfromthefamily'spointofviewifitisspentthewaytheywantitspent
hadn't considered: I suppose I had considered this, and had heard it before a long time ago, but I do sometimes feel weird about the government simply providing checks when they could provide goods/services. this was a good reminder that people can generally be trusted to make the best decisions for themselves.
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theyjointhepicketlineinbehalfofsomebodypoorer
Agree: though I find it somewhat disheartening, I do believe most people are self-serving in the way they join/are vocal about most causes.
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Economicsisoftenlikeabrokerormediatorinabargainingpro-eess,goodatpromoting"integrativebargaining."Integrativebar-gainingissearchingforsuperiortrades,findingwaystobringtothebargainingtablethosethingsthatmattermoretothebenefi-ciaryofaconcessionthantothepartymakingtheconcession
Something I had not considered before: What do you do when unfettered capitalism has run too far down the course, and there cease to be concessions at all in search of short term financial gains for a privileged few? This seems to be the moment we are bordering on today, nearly 40 years after this article was written...
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Peoplemorewillinglydriveonslipperyroadsthemorenearlycom-pletetheircollisioncoverage;backdoorsareunlockedifthehome-owner'spolicyisliberalinitsprovisionsforburglary.Iammoreindulgentofmysorethroatifmyemployerprovidesanamplequotaofsickdays.
Disagree— This and the previous three paragraphs are gross and reductive, assuming the worst of society, that everyone wants to be lazy and have their houses burglarized if they think their insurance will payout. Would fit in well at the GOP convention...
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