There is no such thing as a free market.

The invention of the printing press was one of the most important events in human history.

Between the Great Depression and the 1970s, private business was viewed with suspicion even in most capitalist economies. Businesses were, so the story goes, seen as anti-social agents whose profit-seeking needed to be restrained for other, supposedly loftier, goals, such as justice, social harmony, protection of the weak and even national glory.

It's not just about the current economic environment. History shows that slashing budgets always leads to recession.

A well-designed welfare state can actually encourage people to take chances with their jobs and be more, not less, open to changes.

Assume the worst about people and you get the worst.

Above a certain level of income, the relative value of material consumption vis-a-vis leisure time is diminished, so earning a higher income at the cost of working longer hours may reduce the quality of your life. More importantly, the fact that the citizens of a country work longer than others in comparable countries does not necessarily mean that they like working longer hours. They may be compelled to work long hours, even if they actually want to take longer holidays.