"To a leftist, who believes that every choice should be made in Washington by "Better and Wiser" people "
More of your black and white world eh? Have you ever heard of "middle ground"? I know how the free market works. You, my neo-classical liberal friend, don't seem to realize that there is no such thing anywhere as a completely free market. America would probably be the most wide open there is in a major economy but everywhere there is some form of mixed economy, with both government and free market forces. All that varies are the degrees of government influence. The aim should not be all of one or the other. That of course is preposterous and impossible. The aim is finding the sweet spot where they have synergy. Where they help achieve widely shared social goals.