I stopped reading at the sentence:

Quote:
But no matter if our elected officials prefer to school us with passages from Milton Friedman or from Thomas Piketty, the hard truth is that no state can provide a robust safety net for all of life's likely contingencies; in most places, government-run social programs are severely deficient in funding, in efficiency, and in scope.


Neither Friedman nor Piketty says that the state provides (or should provide) a "robust safety net for all of life's likely contingencies." It is particularly laughable to see Friedman's name connected to such an idea. Also, which elected official has been "schooling us" in economic theory?

The above is not a political observation, just fact checking. This sort of error makes me think the author hasn't put in enough care and thought into his article to make it worth my while.