agonisms such as the Red Scare, how do Americans really feel about capitalism and the free enterprise system?In 1994, a rather catastrophic earthquake rocked Los Angeles. In response to the sudden demand for such necessities as batteries, water and diapers, stores raised their prices like any normal, heartless, savage capitalist would do. A cry of protest rang out from all quarters of society. California senator Diane Feinstein declared Its not the California way and its not the American way. More grievances were aroused when landlords raised the rent on vacant dwellings after many of the city apartments were rendered uninhabitable. How dare they do that!, was the undivided cry. In no time the California assembly passed a law making it illegal to raise prices more than ten percent after a natural disaster.Squinting the haze of hypocrisy, it is obvious none of these people have took even a high school course in economics. Is it possible they were decrying the God-sent Law of Supply and Demand? Did they think it had been repealed, or did they think it should be?Even in congress, the members do not seem to fully trust the workings of the capitalist system. There is constantly proposals to stop the soaring costs of pharmaceuticals and health-care. Why dont our leaders let the magic of the marketplace work its magic? Judges regularly hand down lighter sentences if the defendant did not actually profit from his crime monetarily. Labor unions are constantly attacking companies for slacking on workers rights and safety in their pursuit of net capital gain.America lacks an appreciation for its supposedly cherished ideal of greater choice. People moan and groan about junk mail filling their mailboxes and e-mail, having their senses pursued and surrounded by omnipresent advertisements and commercials. People squawk about the arrival in their neighborhood of the bully national chain that suffocates and drives out their favorite friendly bookstore, ...
