Glen Contrarian
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2013
- Messages
- 17,688
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- Political Leaning
- Progressive
I do not need to live in a third world nation to tell you that they are not economically free, just as I didn't need to live in the USSR to tell you it wasn't economically free.
Did I refer to the USSR? No? Then please don't include a strawman argument. I'm referring to the third-world nations of today, many of which ARE democracies.
What a nice story. Fact is, you don't have to live somewhere to know what policies are in place, and whether those policies advance or inhibit economic freedom.
And do you know how those policies are enforced, IF they are enforced at all? For instance, drug laws in the Philippines are very strict...but I paid off the judge and my brother-in-law got out of jail. This is business as usual there. The duties on incoming household goods is 100% for new items...but it was a heck of a lot cheaper to pay off the customs agent. Minimum wage there is a bit over $2 a day...but nobody pays attention to it - it's never, ever enforced.
If someone is employed for more than six months, the company's required to provide health insurance...which is why most low-level workers at major companies are fired at the six month point and then rehired - and much of the time, this happens without the worker even realizing that it has happened. For smaller companies, they don't even worry about it at all.
That's just it, guy - you've NO CLUE. You CANNOT know what 'economic freedom' a nation has if you haven't been there, because the laws on the books often bear ZERO relation to what's actually happening out on the street.
And I already gave you an answer, which you ignored. To reiterate: "For free markets to exist there has to be a strong protection of property rights. That is nonexistent in third-world nations."
Ah. You really think we have strong property rights in America? Ever hear of "eminent domain"? Or the RICO act? And - my pet peeve - HOA's, which can legally force you out of your home if you don't follow their rules to the letter? All you have to do is to piss off the most influential guy in the HOA and suddenly they start pinging you for not having everything in accordance to what the HOA rules are. And yes, I have pissed off that "most influential guy in the HOA" before, and all of a sudden I had to remove a fence I'd put up to keep my dog safe and secure.
On the other hand, I can do pretty much what I want, when I want, and how I want with my house in the Philippines.
But you're going to tell me how our property rights are so strong here? Please.