08-01-2005 01:25									#1
	US drops from the top 10 free economies list Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2...20951&PageNum=0

US is only slightly higher than Sweden - and below Denmark...

	08-01-2005 01:28									#2
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ITAR-TASS = communist news agency!

( Btw, is TASS the reason for Tassadar's nick? )

	08-01-2005 01:31									#3
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It's Itar-Tass quoting Wall Street Journal quoting the Heritage Foundation.

	08-01-2005 01:32									#4
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Yeah, I know, of course.

Anyway, I've heard about it, and it seems that the grade is given not based on statistical data, but mostly by 'experts' that grade them.

	08-01-2005 01:34									#5
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What does it mean? The US hasn't become socialist has it?

	08-01-2005 01:35									#6
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That's only one factor in the score. You could have 80% taxation, but still have a "free" economy. See Denmark.

	08-01-2005 01:37									#7
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quote: It doesn't have much to do with socialism. You could have 80% taxation,

funny enough, socialism doesn't have anything to do with high taxation, either.

	08-01-2005 01:37									#8
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I DanSed you.

	08-01-2005 01:37									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Azazel ( Btw, is TASS the reason for Tassadar's nick? )

Tassadar:

	08-01-2005 01:39									#10
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quote: Originally posted by DanS I DanSed you.

kind of crude, since noone was talking about taxation before you.

	08-01-2005 01:53									#11
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Itar-Tass, what a source for news in the world!

Here is the original list:

http://www.heritage.org/research/fe...x/countries.cfm

	08-01-2005 01:56									#12
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quote: Originally posted by The diplomat What does it mean? The US hasn't become socialist has it?

More likely it has become protectionist. Back to mercantilism!

	08-01-2005 02:02									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Azazel quote: It doesn't have much to do with socialism. You could have 80% taxation, funny enough, socialism doesn't have anything to do with high taxation, either.

I think it has a whole lot to do with socialism. Taxes are a way to make individuals and firms responsible to society as opposed to themselves.

	08-01-2005 02:11									#14
	Re: US drops from the top 10 free economies list Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Originally posted by Stefu http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2...20951&PageNum=0 US is only slightly higher than Sweden - and below Denmark...

Below Denmark - that bad!?!

	08-01-2005 02:13									#15
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Oh, you wouldn't want to be below Denmark - what with all the roasted pork they eat straight out of bag it would be very uncomfortable, and with their porn addiction who knows what they'd get in their heads...

	08-01-2005 02:23									#16
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quote: Other ten tops are Ireland, New Zealand, Britain, Denmark, Iceland, Australia, and Chile. The WSJ calls them “relatively recent converts to free market”.

Converts

	08-01-2005 02:40									#17
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Apostates

	08-01-2005 02:42									#18
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When are people going to stop thinking that freer is better. Obviously a totally free market would fail miserably. It's nonsense.

	08-01-2005 02:43									#19
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Its breaks down why each country got its score here:

http://www.heritage.org/research/fe...id=Unitedstates

For example:

quote: Trade Policy * Score:2.0 The World Bank reports that the United States’ weighted average tariff rate in 2002 (the most recent year for which World Bank data are available) was 2.6 percent. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the government imposes non-tariff barriers, including quotas, tariff rate import quotas, anti-dumping provisions, countervailing duties, and licensing requirements, on a number of goods.

There are alot more though, pretty interesting.

	08-01-2005 02:53									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Kidicious When are people going to stop thinking that freer is better. Obviously a totally free market would fail miserably. It's nonsense.

Is there anyone in this forum who even believes in laissez-faire?

	08-01-2005 02:57									#21
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I thought you did, but I just noticed that you winked. There certainly are plenty of people who believe that anything that makes the market freer is good.

	08-01-2005 03:00									#22
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quote: Originally posted by DanS That's only one factor in the score. You could have 80% taxation, but still have a "free" economy. See Denmark.

It's becaus they define "free" as meaning a socialist model which includes "free" government run health care. At least that's how it works on many of the surveys released in the last few years. I honestly can't be bothered looking up the methodology for this one.

	08-01-2005 03:02									#23
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quote: Is there anyone in this forum who even believes in laissez-faire?

Yes.

	08-01-2005 03:03									#24
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin It's becaus they define "free" as meaning a socialist model which includes "free" government run health care. At least that's how it works on many of the surveys released in the last few years. I honestly can't be bothered looking up the methodology for this one.

No way.

	08-01-2005 03:03									#25
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Ahh, the Heritage Foundation... I believe we have found the party trying to pick an ideological bone and it wasn't the socialists after all. Hertage foundation loves Bush and wants to end Social Security and the federal income tax. Balancing budgets doesn't matter to them as long as Bush keeps cutting taxes for the uber-rich.

	08-01-2005 03:06									#26
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Although, in fairness, ending Social Security and other similar welfare programs WOULD probably balance the budget, in spite of tax cuts

	08-01-2005 03:07									#27
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Hardly DF. SS still brings in more than it costs.

	08-01-2005 03:23									#28
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Give it a couple of years

	08-01-2005 03:26									#29
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And also note that I included the phrase "other welfare programs"

	08-01-2005 03:45									#30
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I don't care if you call SS welfare. It doesn't bother me.