Free Market

Matt Yglesias on the myth of the "free market":

This kind of weird protectionism all occurring in a league that benefits from an anti-trust exemption and billions in taxpayer subsidies for stadiums. That leads to a good line:

It has frequently been said that in this country we have socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. What the case of the NFL demonstrates so clearly is that what we have, in fact, is whatever the rich want whenever they want it. And whatever they want always gets the same name, free market capitalism, regardless.

This, indeed, is what you see over and over again. “I can’t dump water on David Koch’s lawn” is property rights, and “David Koch can pollute the air as much as he wants” is also property rights; opposing progressive taxation is freedom and pharmaceutical monopolies are also freedom.

I dream of the day you people will be funding my standing on your necks!!!