Originally Posted by flapshalfspeed

Free markets, deregulation, and reduction of government spending don't always create profitable industries, despite what some people seem to have made a religion of in this country.

There are certain industries which are simply not profitable without consistent government support and a lack of price competition--aviation is probably one of them. I need only to refer you to the aggregate profits and losses of all airlines in the US since deregulation, the massive amounts of government spending required to support the few airlines which are "profitable," and the simple fact that almost every technology that makes modern jet transport possible is a direct result of huge amounts of government defense spending over the course of sixty years.

Free market capitalism works in a lot of industries (especially retail and non-capital-intensive industries). However, in banking, aviation, and public works, it's not something that is a simple "demand+competition=profitable industry" calculation.

At least in places like Germany they're honest about the fact that some industries need government support to survive and to create jobs--here, companies simply go in and out of bankruptcies constantly to survive, and go begging to Uncle Sam for government loans to prop themselves up anytime they're seriously in trouble--the idea that corporations would create more jobs if they were simply unleashed to compete is simply a whitewashed lie perpetrated on the American people for the last 20 or so years.

Sorry--had to rant....