Hacker News Reader

Comment by gibsonf1 | Hacker News Reader

The freest countries are the most prosperous - this is the evidence: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/freest-co...

Note that Hong Kong used to be at the top of this list prior to 1997 when China started taking away their freedom.

View on HN

Is this causation or correlation? Those "free countries" seem to correlate pretty closely with colonial powers.

Scarcity necessitates tighter control. "Freedom" is easier to guarantee in prosperity. Also, at a global scale, if you're a rich country, it sounds like you'd want to spread a system that benefits those who have capital.

Singapore is pretty rich while not being particularly high on that list...

Singapore is highly capitalist.

Note that this index is freest but not the most capitalist, which you seem to be conflating.

I use the definition: "Capitalism is a social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned."

So no conflation.

Weird definition of capitalism. Tons of systems respect property rights and individual freedoms. And, in fact, none of these states operate under the condition where all property is privately owned. Where they fall on those measures doesn't correlate with the weal of the people either, at least not the way you are implying.

Which tons of systems? The US currently does not qualify as capitalist by that definition, we currently have a statist system with an unelected 4th branch of government, etc.

Ref to definition: http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/capitalism.html

> unelected 4th branch of government

The legislature is worthless and is more concerned with getting re-elected and getting rich in office, than doing actual legislation.

The supreme court legislating from the bench is result of a lame duck congress and senate.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com