The market-liberal vision brings the wisdom of the American Founders to bear on the problems of today. As did the Founders, it looks to the future with optimism and excitement, eager to discover what great things women and men will do in the coming century. Market liberals appreciate the complexity of a great society, they recognize that socialism and government planning are just too clumsy for the modern world. It is--or used to be--the conventional wisdom that a more complex society needs more government, but the truth is just the opposite. The simpler the society, the less damage government planning does. Planning is cumbersome in an agricultural society, costly in an industrial economy, and impossible in the information age. Today collectivism and planning are outmoded and backward, a drag on social progress.

I agree with this in principle, but disagree in some areas of practice. Collectivism and planning still have a place in the information age. There will always be parts of society who, either in the long term or short term, need protection from "market forces."

Health Care Insurance is a prime example. If a person or family finds it impossible to pay for or obtain health coverage either in the short term or long term, either through inability to pay or because of pre-existing conditions, it's inexcusable in my view that they should face ruin because of it. Yet that's what we're asking millions of Americans to do.

Collectivism works in Health Care in many countries. Canada and Japan are two countries that I have some knowledge of. Social medicine works there; why not here? Many countries in Europe also provide their citizens with "socialized" medicine.

It's easy to say that 'private interests' will take care of market areas and that government should stay out of the personal live of its citizens. What's left by the wayside in this view is the "unfortunates" who aren't able, for whatever reason, to take part in the "economic opportunities" that should be available to all.