Gerhard Fiedler wrote: >> - is there anything that the government can be trusted to do? > > I don't think that there is anything any institution (private or public) > can be trusted to do. They all need diligent supervision. Even small businesses? There are many restaurants in my neighborhood that have delicious food and excellent service, seemingly without government intervention. >> - many people would argue that running the military, ie national defense >> is one of them. > > In my opinion, anything where a decent competitive situation is not > possible is a candidate. That's mostly infrastructure and things we agree > that everybody should have minimum access to, and of course the use of > violence (which is by definition a government monopoly). So what makes medicine a good candidate? Decent competitive situation is not possible? There's no infrastructure? Or is medicine one of the things everybody should have minimum access to? In the US, in certain situations it is legal for private citizens and organizations to use violence (e.g., self-defence, or protecting property). > Some of these can be "privatized", but that's in general not a real > privatization; it's either a spotty, marginal thing (like toll roads) or > it's something that's highly regulated and (supposedly) controlled by the > government (like energy and telecom infrastructure). Toll roads are mostly operated by local governments. And it's been shown that energy and telecom infrastructure can definitely benefit from privatization. In certain cities, you have a choice of providers for cable TV. > (FWIW, I basically agree with you on health care. And I'd apply similar > thoughts to education.) Public education and postal service are among the worst government operated systems in the United States. European Union have actually made it a requirement for its members to privatize its post offices. Countries that have privatized their postal services have seen tremendous increases in efficiency [1]. I can't wait until the public school system in the US is converted to a voucher system. If the government schools are just as good as private ones, why not let the parents decide where to take their vouchers? Vitaliy [1] Time for the Mail Monopoly to Go -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist