Robert Kuttner Speaks With Milton Friedman :: Hispanic Pundit

One of my most reliable human browsers, Hispanic Pundit, comes up with another gem, this Robert Kuttner interview of Milton Friedman.

In his post, Hispanic Pundit quotes from the interview on the topics of health care and education. Friedman's points apply equally well in the UAE as in the US. One example:

A program for the poor would be a poor program. . . .

There is no reason whatsoever why government should be producing schooling. You can make an argument for subsidizing schooling, you can make an argument for requiring compulsory schooling, though I think it is weak. Those you can do. But why should government be producing schooling, and not producing automobiles? What is it that makes government a better producer of schooling than private enterprise, and differentiates it from other sectors?

. . . government can subsidize the function without running the schools. Government can give food stamps to people, but it doesn’t run grocery stores.