Quote Originally Posted by denuseri View Post
They are both dependent upon the same type of exchange (this for that)...which when one gets down to it is no different than the barter system in reality.
Sorry, I have to disagree. In a free market, you purchase from a retailer or merchant and in turn, that merchant or retailer spends the money they receive and the market grows and prospers. If they provide poor service or the quality of product is poor, their business suffers as a result and the market ebbs and flows naturally. In socialism, when the government is full of entitlement programs and provides and/or sells much of what the "consumer" needs, the money does not flow through the market, nor is there any consequence to the government for poor service or a poor quality product. It's almost a one-way street. Remember the lines for food in Russia?