Re:Apple Mobile Processors Are Now Made in America. By TSMC
by woodruffw on Wednesday September 18, 2024 @10:55AM
(#41580499)
I think there’s too many layers of counterfactuals here: much of the government’s economic intervention stems from a (perceived) need that transcends ordinary economic concerns. Think wars, epidemics, famines, etc.
In other words, I think we’d need to presume the absence of those concerns to intelligibly consider the absence of taxation-funded interventions. And that’s more of a minarchst fever dream than a thing that could actually happen.
Re:Apple Mobile Processors Are Now Made in America. By TSMC
by mlyle on Wednesday September 18, 2024 @11:31AM
(#41581032)
Sure. Maybe the market will provide food security in 98% of years on its own, but we need more 9's. And we obviously need our government to be coercive enough to protect us from outside, less benevolent, forms of coercion.
At the same time, this isn't a "yes/no" question. This is thousands of sliders that we adjust for each industry.
You always have to consider the opportunity cost. Sure, perhaps we've ended greater security and have also ended up with vibrant industry A at the end of it; but we maybe had to pay by hurting industries B, C, and D. It might be worth it; but it doesn't mean it makes sense to do it for industry Z where there is a smaller security benefit.
Likely, yes, but even if they are, it’s impossible to say whether that’s a net win for society. Possibly, if the government hadn’t subsidized them, but instead had had lower taxation, other industry segments would have blossomed, and gotten better benefits for society.
As an example, US government support for the Internet may have led to larger automation, making labor relatively more expensive, and because of that decreasing the size of the middle class. Opinions will differ on whether that’s a net positive.