What an excellent article,Graeme, thank you. In ye olde English -- Capitalism does not a welfare state make.

Capitalism is actually such a cool phenomena, it creates it's own checks and balances in the sense that profit becomes the boundaries. Capitalism is supposed to flourish as free enterprise, so whilst it does not guarantee democracy, it does, and has to, by it's own essence, have free enterprise (freedom) as it's playing field. Wow, sorry, that sentence reads like a politician wrote it

When Government becomes a source of employment, as opposed to serving it's people, it will become a burden and carry complexity.

I might be wrong, with all the other things on my plate i have not had time to explore this fully, but it seems to me like the economy is struggling to become a hybrid of all the forms that have gone before. I, for one, believe in capitalism, and that the government should take care of the welfare of the nation.

It is surely not our responsibility to provide the ABC's, the water etc. so if the market demands Botox and iPods -- supply! Is that not what business people do?

Or hang on a second, let me hang up my hat, close my doors, as I am surely not providing basics to this world, and try to fill Governments shoes for them. I wonder what I shall eat? Should I feel guilty that I have picked up what life gave me, studied and work until two in the morning, made it on my own, not had a vacation in 8 years, nor a weekend off, and that I now am one of the people that have meaningless demands like expensive perfume?

Last night I have been told that I am a know-it-all, always sprouting research and stats so let me get off my little soap box for a while