Comments on: Bruce Bartlett, Socialist Lackey

By: North

North — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:11:44 +0000

I don’t completely disagree with you. But if we were emulating the Danes then we wouldn’t be doing corporate welfare.

By: Mike Farmer

Mike Farmer — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:22:58 +0000

North, I got the point, but when you talk about features of the European social system, and then concentrate on a small country like Denmark, which couldn’t operate like it operates if it had pay for it’s own defense, or support a large, diverse society, or be a major contributor to IMF and the World Bank to support third world countries, , it seems a little like comparing apples to astronauts. Our country and our position in the world is so different from Denmark, that it’s a useles comparison. But taking Europe as a whole, and looking at its social system, I’d say that there are stark differences in the way we should operate — so the point is that Bartlett is being silly by finding a few areas to build up, while ignoring the main point — that we couldn’t survive under a Eurpean system, and Europe couldn’t survive if they had our responsibilities. Plus, the few areas we have emulated have become, like Art Deco writes, a disaster corporate welfare and incompetence which we can’t sustain. America is a unique country which needs to support capitalism if there is to be any long-term wealth creation and progress. We should be looking for innovative ways to create safety nets through voluntary means, not follow the European model, which will bankrupt us — and unless Europe takes responsibility for its own defense, if we collapse, they go to.

By: North

North — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:43:41 +0000

Mike, I think you missed the most important part. The northern europeans have an extensive social safety net and rather high taxes. What they also have a a very very non-intrusive policy when it comes to private industry. In other words they’re very low on the regulation side of things. Now obviously it may not transfer to bigger less homogenious countries in America but the Nordic Europeans seem to have figured out a way to strap the golden goose into a harness to get a lot of good work out of it without killing it.

By: Art Deco

Art Deco — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:52:56 +0000

we already have an expansive safety net.

And it’s a Rube Goldberg contraption rife with perverse incentives and rent-seeking.

By: Mike Farmer

Mike Farmer — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:10:39 +0000

I butchered my response — you advocated adopting the best features of the European social model, but the only thing you listed which would be a feature of the European social model is the expansive safety net, and we already have an expansive safety net.

By: Mike Farmer

Mike Farmer — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:03:38 +0000

I wouldn’t call these features of the European social model, except maybe the expansive safety net, which is what you proposed we adopt — but then we’ve had a reasonably expansive safety net since FDR.

By: Art Deco

Art Deco — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:55:08 +0000

Questions:

1. Are there demonstrable economies of scale in the operation of assemblages of public parks?

2. What other claims are there on the time and attention of bodies undertaking oversight?

3. Why would one consider control by the central authorities more congruent with self-government than operation by state or local authorities?

4. The federal government was once the formal proprietor of all land not within the borders of the thirteen original states, so it did sequester the land in question for the creation of the parks. The significance of that now is just what?

It is difficult to think of a more ‘local’ issue than land use.

By: greginak

greginak — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:28:55 +0000

FWIW While Adaroncak SP is a great place it is not the largets public park int the country. Wrangel-St Elias NP in Al is bigger, Denali NP and Preserve is almost the same size.

But you don’t have an argument why the feds shouldn’t be involved. It was the feds creating all those parks, which most Americans treasure and enjoy.

By: Art Deco

Art Deco — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:07:33 +0000

Depends on what sort of behavior that safety net encourages and discourages.

By: Art Deco

Art Deco — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:00:53 +0000

I actually had in mind the replacement of federal grants-in-aid, categorical grants, and bloc grants with an unrestricted subsidy to state, county, and municipal governments. Programs currently operated by states or localities with grant money from superordinate authorities might continue to be so, but according to the discretion of those more particular authorities.

One might also transfer properties and public agencies to more particular authorities as well. The largest public park in the United States is the Adirondack State Park. It is difficult to see (pace Ken Burns) that our inventory of wilderness needs to be superintended by the federal government.