In article
<holman-2407081831170001@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
holman@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Eugene Holman) wrote:
> > I don't think capitalism is defined by the im****t of luxury
automobiles.
>
> Agreed. It is defined by the ability of a significant segment of the
> society to use the economy to earn enough money honestly to cover living
> costs and still have enough money left over for such extras as iPods,
> caviar, and automobiles, including im****ted luxury ones :-)
>
> I visit and do business in Russia quite often, most recently having
> visited there in November 2007. Urban Russia has an economy and
lifestyle
> that cannot be characterized by any other designation than
unadulterated,
> unfettered capitalism. For details, see e.g.
> http://www.mercer.com/searching/searching.htm?q=Moscow.
I'm not sure a lifestyle can be characterized as unadulterated
capitalism--there are an awful lot of different lifestyles, from ascetic
to sybaritic, that are consistent with a free market economy.
I may well be mistaken--I've never been to Russia--but my understanding
was that the government still played a very large role in the economy.
Can a private individual start a firm producing and trading stuff
without permits from the government? How much of the land, capital
assets, and the like are in private hands? If an entrepreneur is
successful, does he need friends in government to stay successful?
--
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/
http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/
Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.
Published by Baen, in bookstores now
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