Freed Market

The test I posted earlier was interesting in a general sense, but upon further reflection I don't think it was a very accurate representation of my position. I trace this to the kinds of questions it asked regarding current issues of market regulation - environmental standards as applying to businesses, or is it wrong that customer service jobs are being outsourced to India - for example. I joked earlier about myself not coming off as Maoist as I thought I was. In reality, I was more surprised the test rated me so close to socialism, rather than on the capitalist scale.

I'll be the first to admit that I've mellowed a little since my heady college days, writing screeds for the Drury Mirror and working for Michael Moore. Not that I regret any of that, but I don't know that I'd so blindly follow the kinds of ideologies I once did. Working for a small business has taught me a lot about the business world, but it has also taught me a lot about how a company can be responsible and make a nice profit as well.

It seems that the test really tried to pidgeonhole me into an extreme that I don't necessarily represent. Yes, I support environmental regulations on business - for the same reason I support child labor laws. They are both forms of business regulation, but I doubt Tom Coburn would call me a commie pinko for saying that businesses should be prevented from employing small children - or prevented from forming monopolies, or hiring strikebreakers to intimidate unions, or descriminating based on sex, race, creed, or sexual orientation. Well, OK, maybe that last one.

But still - had the survey asked me whether I supported regulating child labor, would it have scored me the same as if I supported putting pollution restrictions on factories? I have to wonder.

At any rate, I'm not as pink as some think. I'm just a progressive Liberal Democrat.