Another great letter to Altercation:

Read Altercation everyday, if you don't all ready:

The latest post from Brad in Arlington shows how conservatives tend to ascribe everything good in American society to the free market while ignoring the very substantial role played by government. Brad alludes to "the past century of unparalleled economic growth and skyrocketing standards of living in this country," and implicitly concludes that these were caused by "decisions based on profit." What Brad fails to acknowledge is that our "skyrocketing standards of living" owe much to *government* action.

Here are just a few examples:

- Social Security and Medicare, which assure the elderly a minimal income and basic health care in their later years;

- the GI bill, which made higher education a possibility for a huge number of vets and proved their stepping stone into the middle class;

- minimum wage and labor laws, which helped guarantee workers at least a minimal income and protection from inhumane working conditions;

- federal banking regulation, which insures the savings of American businesses and individuals and helps guarantee a stable business and financial environment; and

- environmental laws, which have made the air we breathe and the water we drink cleaner.

I could add other examples, but the obvious point is that all of these things have contributed mightily to America's standard of living and economic progress, but none of them would have been achieved solely through "decisions based on profit." The (often unsung) genius of America's 20th century capitalist system was always its use of government to temper the harsh effects of unfettered capitalism. Sadly, the current regime is trying to repeal as much of this system as possible. Without it, I doubt that America's standard of living will continue to "skyrocket" or that we will see more of the "unparalleled" economic growth Brad trumpets.