fstd, "statism", OK, at least a new term devoid for the time being of a darker meaning and insinuation.
I would certainly prefer to not get hung up on definitions or name calling as it does distract from the important topics at hand.
Look, I'm not a real smart guy, don't claim to be. I don't pretend to have any or even some of the answers to these very complex issues. Most of the time I'm just going with my gutt, and I've learned to trust it!
Take the "statism" of the GM bankruptcy. My "gut" tells me the Gov did the right thing, but I don't know... Rather than let them just file straight up and down BK, they stepped in. I think that was the right thing to do, based on wide spread impact of so many other related industries. I'm not a Union guy, never have been, but they cannot be ignored either. What was the best solution? I don't have a degree in economics or the data to make that call.
Same for many of these programs, a LOT of us are going with our "gut" on these issues. That's why it's important to get as many of the facts together as we can and discount the inflamatory rhetoric.