The Market as a Prison

Modern liberalism and its offspring, the welfare state, have dominated American politics since the 1930s. Both have received a great deal of criticism, from both the left and right. For many conservatives, the welfare state violates the rights of property, derives people of their liberty, is inefficient, unfairly favors certain organized interests, and creates a dangerous dependency on the state. Critics from the left have argued that the welfare state is dependent on the success of capitalist firms and thus remains captive to the investment decisions of the a narrow group of corporate executives and their shareholders. However, both American conservatives and liberals share some variations of neo-liberal thought that accept the tension between the welfare state and the private marketplace. Events in recent years have strengthened these similarities (Levy 393).
The welfare state is not the only part of American culture and politics that has been imprisoned by the American econo...