Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Heritage Foundation Retreats from Free-Market Capitalism?

Here is more from Business Insider:

Conservatism used to be synonymous with free markets. Maybe not for much longer.

The Heritage Foundation — a conservative think tank known for its pro-business allegiances — released a report Tuesday written by Alexander Salter, an economist at Texas Tech University, flirting with whether the US government should protect workers from free markets.

Conservatives have long argued that the government should not tax, regulate, or subsidize industry because consumers are better off when companies are forced to compete for their dollars. However, the consequences of globalization for American manufacturing have caused many conservatives to reconsider the need for government intervention. Heritage, once the center of free-market conservatism, is now at this very crossroads.

With Tuesday's report, however, Heritage has moved away from its penchant for unfettered markets. 

Where markets generate wealth but harm families, communities, and the nation, "Combating monopolies, redistributing income, and even guiding production in essential industries are all valid public policy options," the report said.

 

In other Heritage Foundation news, the think tank has offered Tucker Carlson a job.