Flawless Ideas Edition (Matthew Yglesias & Karl Smith)

[DWAnderson]

I was struck by Kevin and Karl find references to socialism in relating to the Obama administration absurd followed up with a discussion of why the government should be doing more to dictate what happens in the field of healthcare.

What the discussion reveals is that the references to socialism are hyperbole, but the nugget of truth is that the current administration believes that it can improve on market outcomes in a whole host of areas, from energy development, to terms of air travel, to the provision of healthcare.

This may not be "socialism", but it is born of the same impulse and theoretical underpinnings.