As American as Baseball, Hot Dogs, and... the Free Market?

Just in time for the 4th of July, I'm getting into John Gray's indictment of global capitalism, False Dawn (New York: New Press, 1998). Gray offers numerous interesting claims:

• The best examples of economic prosperity have resulted from state action, not laissez-faire economics.
• Free market capitalism is antithetical to family values.
• Global capital markets threaten the social cohesion and political autonomy of every nation.

See my commentary on Gray's look at free markets and anxiety. That should provide plenty of fodder for good patriotic discussions over the long Independence Week.

see also my summary of Gray's eight main arguments in False Dawn.