By the way you should read the Rational Optimist. You find an interesting history of the metrics of value, and the processes that has been driving economic development since the stone age. This progress is interrupted only by the emergence of rent seekers - one of which was in fact the government. But that is the kind of govt the US innovation modified. Now we have other rent seeking inhibiting growth and sabotaging and manipulating govt among other things.

What specific legislation is based on these labor theory of value, profit is theft, etc.? I am curious. These are slogans used by political operatives not active policies. The bottom line is that with respect to the size of government both the left and the right have pragmatically responded the realities of the modern world -almost accidentally and certainly incrementally enacting similar policies. Currently we have little problem because the republicans painted themselves in a corner and are using the rhetoric of the right to almost try to escape the consequences for wanting their cake an eat it two, They should have cut the govt when it would not have been noticed but didn't.

Is massive bureaucracy military complex that wastes 200-300 billion dollars a year, or the million plus working people in windowless offices watching out for terrorists? Actually there is such a relationship - it has to do the amount of energy required to control increasing complexity and interdependence. You can have a smaller government if you reduce the number, variety, speed of delivery of goods ad services exchanged. Most people want and need a complex varied society and the infrastructure needed to deliver it. I think there are still a few places in the US where you can escape some of this. You may meet me there, but I will be vacationing not working.

We libs did. Right after we let you out of yours. For us libs liberty is the highest value. Have annoying bozos like cohen and you on the streets free to say anything that comes to mind or belches out of the gut is a small price to pay.

Quite a riddle- as always, BonnyB. First price to you for evasiveness. .

What is it you do Bonny?

Cohen is a lot of things but there is no need to label him as you have. He's no more extreme and contradictory thant Prager. These guys make a living rocking the boat. If it makes you sick stay out of the boat or take some Dramamine. And BTW, you can be sure we don't need you.

how is Keynesian economics repackaged 1700 economics? What are you referring to? nd what technocratic absurdities? The fact that conservatives have also grown government should be evidence enough that small government is impossible. But Cohen's error is not in stating the obvious but in accepting the frame in the first place. But I agree, Cohen is kind of a jerk.

Agitator - Everyone sees problems that don’t exist or are less serious than they think. But Prager invents them , or distorts them, solely for the purpose of creating a rhetorical framework for attacking liberals and leftists (who don’t exist in the way he perceives them). He get the problem wrong, blames it on a group that does not really exist, and then sometimes offers a solution that would be wrong even if the issue and consequences were as he described. He couldn't possible be farther off. But he does not care. Emasculating the left is all that is important. Generally, conservative frames are designed to establish superiority, usually moral, over "others:. And they generally view a lot of people as “other” rather than us.

The road to hell is paved with self-interest and rationalization, The only toll you pay to get on this road is to surrender your intellect to accept meaningless statements and distortions engineered by people like prager to engage you in there effort to control, dominate, and eliminate their critics.