Search This Blog

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Capitalism's Greatest Era

What possibly can I be thinking about?
Ms. Angle in Nevada has suggested that the problem in health care with pre-existing conditions may best be solved through free marketry. To my mind, that is such an obvious proposition that I have to pause and wonder how we have come to such a state. I do not see this as a problem of socialism, however, as many of the Madding Crowd do, but a problem of the flexibility and openness to innovation of free markets themselves.

Our problems with Socialism and Big Government and Obamaism are not problems at all. Those names and titles are mere masks for our fundamental problem: the rigor mortis of our free market system. There was a time when people thought the Internet would revolutionize Industry. Nowadays, it looks much more like the Internet is going the way of the dinosaurs; i.e., getting in line behind the other behemoths.

So, there is health care and there are pre-existing conditions. How does one innovate in such a way that the maximum amount of good is done for society and the least amount of negative Karma accumulates because of the years and years we have let the unfortunate die or merely go bankrupt because of high medical bills.
Perhaps we should allow someone with a bright notion; e.g., allow small businesses in an area to form high-risk pools, to receive a "grant" (like the King gave to those who founded colonies) to do so in a given territory during a set period of time; a monopoly.
This "grantee", for example, could be me who has no capital to actually act like an insurer.
However, anyone who had capital and wished to join in - thinking this a good idea - could do so.
I could lose my grant if I showed no particular progress, or if a real insurer made a strong commitment to do my project, starting right away - as soon as I could clear out of Dodge.

If the period of my grant was something like 10 years, the insurers would have 3 choices:
1) cut me out by making strong commitments themselves,
2) join me,
3) ignore me and the idea and its territory.

This may not be a good idea, nor may this be a rational example, but I am trying to get back to the capitalism beyond the Internet when all that was needed was limitless land - between the Mississippi and the Pacific - and a will to work hard.
There is no more free land, and if you have nothing with which to buy it, your better idea for growing apples, say, will never see the light of day.

The greatest era of Capitalism will be seen in the future as that time period when Capital in the form of Land
was relatively cheap - if not free - and success required brain and brawn and will. The modern era of Capitalism will be regarded more like an impacted bowel.

No comments: