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Government Success Stories
and
Free-Market Failures


By Steve Kangas




Is Big Government wasteful and inefficient? Are markets really magical and innovative?

To a growing number of Americans, the answer appears to be "Yes." Ronald Reagan and Rush Limbaugh have told us horror stories, like the entire roomful of government bureaucrats whose job it is to look after a single Indian. (The media investigated this story and, like most conservative anecdotes, found it wasn't true.) Yet, like all dogma, an inviolate faith in the magic of the market requires casting a blind eye to history.

What follows are numerous examples of government success stories and free-market failures. This list is not meant to imply that socialism is correct, or that markets are not the most efficient form of commerce in most cases. If American society were heading down the road to socialism, this webpage would be entitled "Government Failures and Free Market Successes." But since American society seems to be headed in the opposite direction, this webpage will attempt to restore a sense of moderation to the debate accordingly.

Government Success Stories
Free-Market Failures

Also:
The Invisible Hand
Problems with Privatization

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