Amit Singh Sits Down With the Mutiny

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p>Election 08: The Mutiny Inquires and the Candidates Respond. Well, one of them anyway .

Last month, we profiled Amit Singh who’s running for a congressional seat representing Virginia’s 8th district. To get there, he’s first fighting for the GOP nomination against Mark Ellmore on June 10th. The winner of that race will in turn do battle against long serving Democratic incumbent, Jim Moran in November.

Amit recently (and quite graciously) took some time out of his busy campaign and day job to answer some questions via email. The Q&A is below the fold and spans the gamut from his positions, to why he’s a Republican, to his observations on Desi-American politics, down to some of his thoughts on controversial national issues like illegal aliens and Iraq.

In addition to answering our questions, Amit also pointed me at a few of his other, recent interviews including this video and some updates on his website including a WaPo profile. For example, he recently took a position similar to McCain in pledging to avoid the widespread practice of earmarks – a cornerstone of pork barrel politics, and particularly so at the local congressional district level.

His video interview on Darshan reveals him to be a well spoken, thoughtful individual in RealTime and he gives us some tantalizing clues about his “intelligence community” job –

“the rest of the world is adopting free market principles… including India and China and the United States seems to be going in the opposite direction.”

“we have a very young district, I myself am 33 and our average voter is 32”

“my niche is building prototypes for the intelligence community… we do a lot of work for soldiers that are deploying out to Iraq and Afghanistan that have an evolving threat. IEDs, for example, are consistently changing and maturing so we have to stay ahead of the game…”

– Amit Singh on DarhsanTV.com

Amit Singh in WaPo

General Questions

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p>[Vinod:] So, the biggest question – Why are you running?

[Amit:] I am running because I feel that the current group of politicians is leading our country in the wrong direction and we need problems solvers to put us back on course. I was compelled to run when I saw so many people around me struggling to pay their mortgages and losing their freedoms. I never had any political ambitions but could not sit idly by while our country was being lead down the wrong path. I wanted to support one of the candidates already running for local office.

However, after I learned more about their positions I only saw people who would continue to lead America down an untenable and irresponsible path, candidates who felt that a bigger more intrusive government which did not respect the people was the solution.

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p>Can you summarize the top 3-5 elements of your platform?

1. Limited Government – I believe that we should have faith in the American people and trust them to run their lives. By promoting free markets and personal freedom we will have a stronger, wealthier, and better educated nation.

“I believe many follow this general notion that the Democrat is automatically better for minorities and immigrants without actually looking at the policies implemented and positions taken by the candidate.”2. Fiscal Responsibility – The ballooning national debt and huge amount of government waste are the greatest long-term threats to the American economy and security. We are currently mortgaging the futures of every young American to pay for our current needs. Unless we take corrective action now and begin to reign in wasteful spending, we will see the dollar continue to fall in value and find ourselves unable to provide for our citizens.

3. Personal Liberties – Unfortunately, we have seen our civil rights and civil liberties slowly taken away from us. I oppose measures like the Real ID which violate our constitutionally inviolable rights and in the end make us more vulnerable.

4. Immigration – Our immigration system is broken. I believe we need to secure our borders, but also need to encourage legal immigration. We can foster legal immigration by improving our economy, streamlining the cumbersome immigration process, and implementing guest worker programs.

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p>Party Affiliation & Background

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p>Why are you running as a Republican?

Nothing says Real like a cameraphone photo…

I believe that the principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and respect for personal liberties most closely match with the core principles of the Republican Party. Granted, recently some Republicans have been promoting, encouraging, and enacting a platform that counters those principles that rest at the foundation of Republicanism. However, I am running a true Republican who always respects the rights of all the people.

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p>In some reports, you qualify yourself as a “libertarian Republican”? How is this different from other shades of “Republican”?

I believe a true Republican respects the rights and power of the people at all times and on all issues, not just when they find it convenient. Some have described me as a “libertarian Republican” because I strongly believe in the idea and practice of fiscal responsibility, protecting our civil liberties, and limiting the size of the federal government, thereby differentiating me from others who have co-opted the name Republican. Unfortunately, there are some who call themselves Republicans who believe that a more intrusive government, a more wasteful government, and a government that ignores the fundamental rights of its people is the preferred type of government. To me, that type of government sounds like the polar opposite of core Republican values and what America should be.

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p>By some measures, most Indo-Americans see themselves as Democrats (estimates for the margin ranges from 3-1 all the way up to 10-1). Why do you think this is so? “My father is a college professor of statistics and my mother is wanting me to get married.”

I believe many follow this general notion that the Democrat is automatically better for minorities and immigrants without actually looking at the policies implemented and positions taken by the candidate. Additionally, as my parents described the philosophy of government they saw in practice, many South Asian immigrants come from a world where the central government was responsible for all services and the citizen was wholly dependent on the government – a system they recognized being offered by some Democrats.

However, I see a change occurring as more South Asian Americans analyze their positions. Many begin to describe themselves as fiscally responsible Democrats, Blue Dog Democrats, or socially tolerant Republicans, Main Street Republicans. In truth, they find that they are actually more moderate and centered politically than the more philosophically extreme candidates typically offered by either party.

Unfortunately, our politicians encourage people to blindly vote for the letter next to the name as opposed to examining the positions and views of the candidate in question.

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p>Many / most politicians come into the game from a law or policy background. Your educational background is in engineering and professionally, small business. How does this shape / alter your approach to & expectations from government?

I was born and raised near Richmond, VA and attended the University of Virginia where I received my Electrical Engineering degree in 1996.

“I’m a big believer in limited government,” said Singh, 33, who is single. He also said federal bureaucracies, although “well-intentioned,” are “counterproductive.”

– Amit Singh in WaPo; Perhaps chiming in on the ever popular Intentionalists vs. Consequentialists debate.

My father is a college professor of statistics and my mother is wanting me to get married. In the past few years I have made it a point to visit at least one foreign country a year. Last year was China and before that included Budapest, Czech Republic, Thailand, Austria, Korea. I wanted to go to Turkey this year but with the campaign I may have to break the promise to myself.

I am an engineer by trade and started my own engineering firm about 8 years ago which primarily serves the Defense Dept. I specialize in designing and building prototypes because I have a talent of working with a number of unknowns in a highly fluid situation.

My engineering background and personality drive me to be a very solutions oriented person. The beauty of engineering is that you learn there are many ways to solve a problem and to arrive at the best solution you need to try many things. That is a fundamental reason I am against the Federal govt controlling so many of our services like Education with a one-size-fits-all solution. By allowing the States to control many of our services, we are more likely to learn from one another and improve the services for everyone.

As a businessman, I understand the entrepreneurship spirit that has made America so strong. I also understand how over-regulation and over-taxation reduce the incentive to take risks and serve our customers better. I would use this background to help foster a better business environment in the US and help repeal regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley and lower the corporate tax rate which is the second highest in the world so that American business will be more competitive on the global market.“My background has encouraged a level of support from the South Asian community because many are proud to have “one of their own” running for office…”

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p>South Asian-ness

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p>Aside from highly notable figures like Bobby Jindal, there’s an oft-noted dearth of South Asians involved at different levels of the political process. Why do you think this is so? What sort of participation are you seeing from Indo-Americans in your campaign?

I may see a slightly different side of this living so close to DC, but I have seen and know many South Asians directly and actively involved at all levels of the political process. Regardless, many of our parents’ generation came in search of economic mobility and did not have roots in the community which allowed them to feel comfortable actively running for office. Thus, many second generation South Asians were brought up in households where we were encouraged to become professionals and a political career was not promoted. In my case, the jump from being an engineer running a business to a Congressional candidate has posed many challenges; for example, the expectation that a politician will always be evasive when my profession requires me to be very straightforward and realistic.

My campaign has attracted the support of people of all backgrounds, ranging from traditional Republicans and Democrats, to young and old people of both genders. I have a number of South Asians supporting my candidacy and a few are on my full-time staff. Admittedly, some were initially attracted because of similarities I share with them.

However, they all became my supporters because they believe in my message of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and respect for our civil liberties.

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p>Given how much attention is being given to “Identity” as a campaign issue in the presidential race, has being Indo-American affected your campaign and positions?

My background has encouraged a level of support from the South Asian community because many are proud to have “one of their own” running for office. However, they continue to support me because my positions are universally beneficial to all Americans regardless of background.

In fact, I believe when politicians attempt to gain favor from groups by pandering to them or giving them special treatment, any short-term gain comes at a heavier long-term price.

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p>What issues tend to resonate more with the Indo-American community in your district vs. the community-at-large?

The DC area is so diverse, even among Indo-Americans, its difficult to pin it down to a few issues but the Economy is the one most important to me. Even if its not the biggest issue for most, I try to remind them it is the first issue. When the economy is strong other issues such as Immigration and Health care are easier to address.

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p>Other Issues

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p>Illegal immigration & undocumented workers are pretty polarizing issues to say the least. Still, on your campaign website you highlight this issue in particular. As the son of immigrants do you have a unique perspective to the problem?

Pounding Pavement

Absolutely. I understand the logistical issues and emotional attachments that immigrant families have with their native countries. That is why I am strongly in favor of a smart guest worker program so families can remain in native countries while the breadwinner is able to safely travel across the border and not be forced to take the calculated risk of bringing their families over as well.

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p>Iraq. Where should we go from here? While most on both sides of the aisle want to be out of the country, the real questions are How and When. And the limiting factor seems to be “what would happen if we pulled out”? Could it turn into another Somalia or post-Soviet Afghanistan if the pullout happens too fast? How do we determine if it’s our very presence there vs. deeper faultlines that are causing the violence?

Realistically, the US will maintain logistical personnel, diplomatic protection and some strategic forces in Iraq for a very long time. US forces have been in South Korea for almost 60 years. The real question is about combat troops and how and when they can return. We cannot pull out of Iraq in a day, but we can take aggressive actions to turn over control to local authorities faster. My experience in the Intelligence Community has shown me this is most effective method of ridding the country of extremists. Also, the Iraqi govt must take more ownership of their country and help improve their economy. Even in Iraq, a good economy will solve multiple problems.

Most importantly – Bhangra or Filmi-Pop – what’s on your iPod right now?

I’m old school filmi, Aap Ka Jaise Koi, Qurbani, and Amitabh, etc. but they’re on my 8 track not my iPod 😉

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Like what you hear? If you’re of a similar mindset, I’m sure Amit would appreciate your support – join up, buy a t-shirt, watch his YouTube channel, or heck, join the facebook group.

DC-area mutineers, you get a particular call to action: your Congressional Primary is June 10; and Amit has a couple of electioneering events this weekend. You can sign up on his email list to learn more and contribute.

45 thoughts on “Amit Singh Sits Down With the Mutiny”

  1. Yay. Possibly the first Hindu GOP I know! The only ones I’ve heard of are Jindal, Ponnururu (National Review Editor), and Dinesh D’souza…all of them Christian. At least he understands that the U.S. needs to lower the tax rate for businesses (it’ll help the middle class have more opportunities).

  5. The Mutiny Inquires and the Candidates Respond. Well, one of them anyway

    Will Amit answer questions directly from SM readers like all other candidates we’ve interviewed on SM have agreed to do? If not, why not?

  6. 1 · Rahul S said

    Yay. Possibly the first Hindu GOP I know! The only ones I’ve heard of are Jindal, Ponnururu (National Review Editor), and Dinesh D’souza…all of them Christian. At least he understands that the U.S. needs to lower the tax rate for businesses (it’ll help the middle class have more opportunities).

    He’s Sikh, thank you very much 🙂

  7. Amit is quite the impressive guy, especially for his age. Throughout the time that I’ve known him, I’ve always gone to him for advice, and he always promptly provided it (for free!) He caught me moving once and helped me out voluntarily. I definitely think we need more young, fresh minds representing us. As far as his mother’s wish, I’m mystified as to how he’s managed to stay single this long.

  8. He caught me moving once and helped me out voluntarily

    Oi! He forced you to stay still? Foul! I knew the GOP is against (grass-roots) movements, but this is just too much.

  10. The desi response to Ron Paul

    by this you mean he’s a “ron paul republican,” right? that’s my impression (obviously more moderate).

  13. Ive been supporting Amit Singh for the past few months. And I can tell you, there are a lot of disgruntled republicans and others out there, like myself, who have been fed up with a lot of the bs of the last 8 years or so. Amit really embodies what the republican party is supposed to be, and many in this district are realizing that and are quickly jumping on board.

  14. 6 · Truthism said

    1 · Rahul S said
    Yay. Possibly the first Hindu GOP I know! The only ones I’ve heard of are Jindal, Ponnururu (National Review Editor), and Dinesh D’souza…all of them Christian. At least he understands that the U.S. needs to lower the tax rate for businesses (it’ll help the middle class have more opportunities).
    He’s Sikh, thank you very much 🙂

    Rajputs can be a Singh also. I believe Amit Singh is Rajput and Hindu.

  17. Interesting. Thanks for the interview.

    Yes, the Republican party has certainly strayed from ‘first principles’ the past eight years or so, hasn’t it? Nice to see some fresh faces.

  19. 14 · Anti-Truthism said

    6 · Truthism said
    1 · Rahul S said
    Yay. Possibly the first Hindu GOP I know! The only ones I’ve heard of are Jindal, Ponnururu (National Review Editor), and Dinesh D’souza…all of them Christian. At least he understands that the U.S. needs to lower the tax rate for businesses (it’ll help the middle class have more opportunities).
    At the end of the Darshan TV interview he says he is a Rajput Singh. It was a good interview — really helped to explain this guy. And as the blogger he mentions says, “I’m a Democrat, but you sound like a Republican I could support.”

  20. My main beef with Republicans is the Iraq War…otherwise for the most part I support them on economic fronts and taxes and so forth. Unfortunately the Iraq War is probably strong enough of a factor to get me to vote for the Democratic candidate this year…but if the Republican presidentail candidate was more like Thakur Amit Singh I’d probably vote for him instead.

  21. 5 · Abhi said

    Will Amit answer questions directly from SM readers like all other candidates we’ve interviewed on SM have agreed to do? If not, why not?

    and if direct questions are allowed, will e-signed Loyalty Pledges be required? (I jest, I jest).

  22. By promoting free markets and personal freedom we will have a stronger, wealthier, and better educated nation.

    Amit Singh appears to be a libertarian-conservative politician who is still clinging to the increasingly discredited free-market fundamentalism aka voodoo economics. Which means he is behind the curve and out of touch and thus undeserving to lead.

  23. discredited free-market fundamentalism aka voodoo economics.

    “voodoo economics” usually refers to supply-side economics, not “free market economics”.* so speaking of someone behind the curve….

    • how many socialist & marxist economists are there around anyway? even lefty economics accept the market, they usually just want to buffer the shocks with the welfare state and what not.

  24. Hopefully once he gets there he doesn’t fall into line with the rest of them.

  25. “Realistically, the US will maintain logistical personnel, diplomatic protection and some strategic forces in Iraq for a very long time. US forces have been in South Korea for almost 60 years. The real question is about combat troops and how and when they can return. We cannot pull out of Iraq in a day, but we can take aggressive actions to turn over control to local authorities faster. My experience in the Intelligence Community has shown me this is most effective method of ridding the country of extremists. Also, the Iraqi govt must take more ownership of their country and help improve their economy. Even in Iraq, a good economy will solve multiple problems.”

    That’s too vague of an answer for my liking.

  26. “voodoo economics” usually refers to supply-side economics, not “free market economics”.* so speaking of someone behind the curve…

    You really think that Reagan and his economic advisers did not subscribe to free-market economics?

    Dont get stuck in the past pal. The term may have been coined by Bush Sr. for that particular subset of laissez faire economics but it can apply to any religious belief in the “invisible hand” of the unregulated free market.

    http://www.fee.org/publications/the-freeman/article.asp?aid=4024

    “supply-side economics falls under the broader category of freemarket economics. Therefore, supply-siders hold the same skepticism of government as do their free-market cousins, such as monetarists and Austrian economists.”

  28. 23 · razib said

    how many socialist & marxist economists are there around anyway? even lefty economics accept the market, they usually just want to buffer the shocks with the welfare state and what not.

    There is a surprising amount consensus among economists. Lefty and right economists are more likely to differ on values and priorities than on economic principles.

  29. My father is a college professor of statistics and my mother is wanting me to get married.

    This was certainly well-put 🙁

  30. Mr. Singh claims to respect “[t]he rights and power of the people at all times and on all issues, not just when […] convenient,” as well as “fiscal responsibility” on part of the governement, yet he is opposed to Sarbanes-Oxley that requires transparent financial reporting for corporations?

  31. Mr. Singh claims to respect “[t]he rights and power of the people at all times and on all issues, not just when […] convenient,” as well as “fiscal responsibility” on part of the governement yet he is opposed to Sarbanes-Oxley that requires transparent financial reporting for corporations?

    Portmanteu – like many things in life, it’s a question of degree rather than a black and white “look, he’s contradicting himself!”

    Reporting is Good. But there is such a thing as Too Much Reporting and that’s Bad b/c the cost of compliance can exceed the value of the info being generated. An analogy might be a school system where kids spend too much time test taking and not enough time actually learning.

    Many economists & biz folk feel that SOX goes too far in this direction. Notably, this includes former SOX supporters like Alan Greenspan.

  32. 30 · portmanteau said

    yet he is opposed to Sarbanes-Oxley that requires transparent financial reporting for corporations?

    that’s not the only thing it mandates. I often find the most enthusiastic proponents of Sarbanes-Oxley to be those who have never had to comply with it. In application, has it improved book-keeping at all? Not for large stupifyingly structured companies like AIG–so what’s your point?

  33. 28 JGandhi said

    There is a surprising amount consensus among economists. Lefty and right economists are more likely to differ on values and priorities than on economic principles.

    Yep, there’s a classic observation that Economists get far more press for the things they disagree on (oh, the shape of the Laffer curve, for ex) vs. the things they actually agree on (that free markets generally work better than the alternatives)

  34. religious belief in the “invisible hand” of the unregulated free market

    The “invisible hand” has it’s origin in Human Nature and not religion.

  35. 22 · Vyasa said

    By promoting free markets and personal freedom we will have a stronger, wealthier, and better educated nation.
    Amit Singh appears to be a libertarian-conservative politician who is still clinging to the increasingly discredited free-market fundamentalism aka voodoo economics. Which means he is behind the curve and out of touch and thus undeserving to lead.

    Increasingly discredited free-market economics? I thought it was Socialism that was discredited. Then again I don’t subscribe to Communist Weekly so I could be wrong.

  37. “but also need to encourage legal immigration. We can foster legal immigration by improving our economy, streamlining the cumbersome immigration process, and implementing guest worker programs.”

    This is what drives me crazy whenever I hear my fellow idiot Americans yap about immigration, they are completely clueless to the fact that what drives this country is that intelligent people from all over the world want to come here, we need to continue and enhance this in order for USA to prosper.

    “I believe many follow this general notion that the Democrat is automatically better for minorities and immigrants without actually looking at the policies implemented and positions taken by the candidate.”

    I am exactly the person he is describing.

    “The beauty of engineering is that you learn there are many ways to solve a problem and to arrive at the best solution you need to try many things. That is a fundamental reason I am against the Federal govt controlling so many of our services like Education with a one-size-fits-all solution. By allowing the States to control many of our services, we are more likely to learn from one another and improve the services for everyone.”

    This is huge, and to me this isn’t a Democrat or Republican position, it’s one of good common sense. “State’s Rights” no longer means you’re pro-slavery.

    “I also understand how over-regulation and over-taxation reduce the incentive to take risks and serve our customers better.”

    Again, another great point. This is a huge impediment for people wanting to start their own small businesses or services.

    I have always been turned off by politics because I felt that politicians were completely different from me, with completely different values, ideas, etc. I related to Obama due to some similarities, but now I finally have a candidate that sees things from my perspective. We need more 2nd gen. Indians running for office, doesn’t matter which party.

  38. I’ve known Amit for many years now. He’s a great guy, and I toy with the idea of supporting him across party lines, even though I disagree with some of his policies, because he tends to be more enlightened than the entrenched Jim Moran. He’s right here in my district, even.

    As far as GOP browns go, uh…quite a few seem to pop up in DC. Vivek Kundra, Aneesh Chopra, and Amit are all examples from just the last few years. The liberal browns they frequently claim to represent don’t have a lot of brown choice lately if they want to vote identity (and you know they do want to).

  40. 38 · Salil Maniktahla said

    As far as GOP browns go, uh…quite a few seem to pop up in DC. Vivek Kundra, Aneesh Chopra, and Amit are all examples from just the last few years. The liberal browns they frequently claim to represent don’t have a lot of brown choice lately if they want to vote identity (and you know they do want to).

    In terms of brown GOPS, Jindal is the only one that has potential in the next 10-20 years to make it big (he’s already the gov. of Louisiana). I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes President.

  41. 32 · Nayagan said

    I often find the most enthusiastic proponents of Sarbanes-Oxley to be those who have never had to comply with it. In application, has it improved book-keeping at all? Not for large stupifyingly structured companies like AIG–so what’s your point?

    Nayagan, people who whine the most about SOX are those who have to comply with it (just as the most enthusiastic proponents will be those who benefit from it; btw, disclosure: I have worked in an industry where the fall-out of SOX was pretty dramatic and imposed major costs on business). Some companies have reported improved book-keeping. There are legitimate concerns about SOX: preliminary studies show that the some companies de-listed from NYSE, and that it might clamp down on risk-taking by certain entrepreneurs. Here, the data needed is whether SOX is preventing companies from taking risks that are justified or unjustified (which admittedly we don’t have). On the other hand, cutting the links between those who audit the firm and those who provide it financial services seems like a good thing — the same conflict of interest relationships that allowed Enron executives to hide massive financial irregularities. And because many troubled financial sector firms end up being candidates for govt bail-outs, I think it’s only fair that taxpayers see extensive disclosures from them. Moreover, if investing is not akin to gambling and gains/losses are not completely random, how else are stock-holders or potential investors going to see what the company is up to without fairly detailed financial disclosures? from the SOX article I previously linked:

    It’s true that only one out of the world’s ten biggest IPOs last year was listed in the U.S. But the other nine were all for overseas companies. And if foreign firms find our desire for transparency so distasteful, do we really want them here anyway? Are you, as an investor, so devastated that PartyGaming (Charts), a Gibraltar-based company, saw fit to list in London instead of New York? Anyway, it’s not as if the pipeline is drying up. There were more U.S.-listed IPOs in the first half of this year than in either of the past two years. Steve Schwarzman, CEO of private-equity juggernaut Blackstone, recently said that Sarbanes-Oxley “is probably the best thing that’s happened to our business and one of the worst things that has happened to America.” What Schwarzman seems to be suggesting is that because Sarbanes-Oxley is so costly and complicated, companies are throwing themselves at him in an effort to go private. Maybe. Or maybe CEOs are dialing Schwarzman’s number simply because he and his competitors in the buyout biz are raising money hand over fist – Blackstone just closed a record $15.6 billion fund – and itching for opportunities to spend it. I decided to ask one of the bill’s authors, Senator Paul Sarbanes, what he thought about the criticism. “These people have already forgotten what happened at Enron and WorldCom,” he told me. “People lost all their pensions and retirement savings. The bill is really about ensuring that public companies have a legitimate system of internal financial controls. To me that is a worthwhile cost.” Oh, and then there’s this. On the day Sarbanes-Oxley was signed, the market value of the Wilshire 5000 index – a proxy for all public companies in the U.S. – stood at $10.5 trillion. At the end of June, the Wilshire was worth $16.14 trillion, an increase of 54%. To say that’s all SarbOx would be just as specious as some of the criticism of the bill. But to deny that the restoration of confidence it brought had any impact would also be inaccurate. Sarbanes-Oxley isn’t perfect. And by all means, it should be scrutinized. But consider the alternative. What if we had done nothing?

  42. I like Amit, the problem is, Jim Moran cannot be beaten. This district skews so heavily democratic that anyone with an R next to their name stands virtually no chance of victory. Even so, I have donated to his campaign and talk him up anytime someone will listen. By the way, I’m a white guy, and would love to vote for any “browns” that have values/positions along the lines of Mr. Singh. If there are any of you out there that are giving thought to running for office I strongly suggest that you do so. Hopefully, you reside in a more favorable district.

    As for SARBOX, it’s a total joke. This is a great example of how government actually causes more problems when it tries to fix problems. Of course, the best solution to the SARBOX mess is to come up some additional regulations. 😉

    To the fool who said something about free-market economics being discredited; you’re a dumbass. Obviously you have never studied economics. Anyone with even the slightest hint of knowledge about macro-economics knows that virtually all economists agree that free-markets are the most efficient means by which to allocate resources. Those who support central planning do so (usually) on the grounds of promoting equality. They believe that equality means everyone has equal stuff, and they want to make this so. Whereas in a free market everyone has equal opportunity, but some will make better use of these opportunities than others. Just a side note, the world has never seen any large-scale free markets. Some markets are freer than others, but none of consequence are anywhere close to truly free. We have tons of examples of centrally planned, sorta planned, and just a little bit planned systems all around us. I suggest you pay attention to them. It doesn’t take a PhD. in econ. to see that freer markets work far better than heavily regulated ones in the medium to long run.

  43. Please note that Vivek Kundra is not a Republican, as someone incorrectly asserted.