Interesting commentary in the Wall Street Journal by Fernández-Villaverde  and Ohanian on errors to avoid if the U. S. is to avoid the Eurosclerosis trap (more here and here) .

Few issues divide libertarians the way the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution does. Gene Healy has observed that “[c]lassical liberals of good faith have found themselves on either side of the issue.”

With the relatively recent passing of America’s new healthcare law; the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), the topics of healthcare, health insurance, prices and reform have been particularly hot lately. This of course does not mean that the controversies surrounding the American healthcare system are anything new. Healthcare prices are getting higher with many hospital visits for certain conditions totaling bills of millions of dollars. Also, the laws regulating the industry are getting heavier by the day.

When people want to add extra “oomph” to negative depictions of self-owners acting without coercion — that is, market competition under capitalism — they turn to name-calling. One of the most effective forms is describing such competition as dog-eat-dog. When that characterization is accepted, the mountain of evidence in favor of voluntary social coordination can be dismissed on the grounds that it involves a vicious and ugly process so harmful to people that it outweighs any benefits.