Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Vibrant free-market can be its own undoing
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Old 12-01-2013, 04:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Villages PL View Post
Some things that can make the free-market system more vibrant in the near term, can be harmful in the long term. Can you think of a scenario where this is already happening?

I believe the demand for universal health care (a harm to the free-market system) is directly proportiional to the number of those who are overweight or obese. In other words, the more prosperous the food industry becomes the more likely it is that people gain excess weight. And when you get to the point where 1/3 of the population is obese, there will be a big demand for universal health care.

The average person is already overweight and unable to afford their own health care. So what do they want? Universal health care.

To restate it once again: To the extent that the food industry is successful, the free-market system is harmed (long term).

Note: I'm not placing blame on anyone, I'm just focusing attention on what's happening.
VillagesPL perhaps I misunderstand the intent of post but what comes to my mind as an example is the Fed's QE and also the retention of very low interest rates.

Both of these actions are fueling the market but do nothing to help Main Street. Their actions are also allowing banks to hold excessive amount of reserves. Ultimately when the Fed pulls back it is going to have an adverse effect on the economy.

As to the health care issue in my view there is no real market because of government's over-regulation on the insurance side and its interference as to payments on the medical side.

As to obese one needs to define to me what that means. for example the BMI measurement makes no distinction between fat and muscle. Also as to fat medical experts now state that there is good fat and bad fat. Fat around the stomach is bad fat. Fat below the waist may actually be beneficial.

Again perhaps I misunderstand the intent of this question