Reason.tv Staffers Are Free Enterprise. Are You? Watch Videos Now Before Friday at 6 P.M ET!

Reason.tv staffers Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg are among the entrants to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's video contest, I Am Free Enterprise, which asks videographers to document the many-splendored ways in which enterpreneurs are making life more interesting in these United States. The grand prize is $50,000 (U.S., alas, not CDN.) and the top 25 view-getters move on to the swimsuit competition next round. So help out two of the guys who have made Reason.com and Reason.tv so much better with all their contributions to our online videos and click through to their vids. The selection process ends at 6pm this Friday, so just like in Chicago, vote early and vote often.

Life is What You Make It at Manakintowne, by Dan Hayes

Manakintowne Specialty Grower's - a family-run small business - has thrived by selling specialty produce to dozens of top restaurants, farmers markets, and co-ops in central Virginia.

A Different Kind of Free Enterprise Story, by Meredith Bragg

A story about the obvious - and not so obvious - supporters of free enterprise. And sandwiches.

Comments

[P Brooks]

the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's video contest, I Am Free Enterprise,

Hahahahahahaha!

Good one.

The Chamber of Commerce is for free enterprise in the same way Archer Daniels Midland is for free enterprise.

[Jeffersonian]

The USCOC thumps the tub for their federal sugar, to be sure, but they also champion private enterprise. They aren't "pure," but they're better than most.

[CoyoteBlue]

Filthy Capitalist Roaders!

[K Foster]

Theres at least one other video worth showing some love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmTJ3lvvF-w

[Contemplationist]

Ah the protectionist rent-seekers also known as the Chamber of Commerce - quite the free-enterprise they've got going.

[Thoughtfulone]

How is S.510 going to interfere with the family farmer?
S. 510 provides extensive, onerous, expensive regulatory requirements, all done in a "one size fits all" manner (meaning that the same rules would be applicable to both the enormous industrial farms and to small local farms). Farm registration, hazard analysis and controls, extensive recordkeeping and reporting requirements, extensive traceability documentation, etc. The bill provides for the establishment of detailed standards regarding the manner in which a farmer may grow, water, nurture, harvest and store his crops, what animals may come in contact with his crops (possibly none), and so forth ? seemingly every aspect of the farmer's food growing operation. The FDA would be given sweeping enforcement authority - the power to enter the farm, to order food to be quarantined or recalled, to order the farm to be shut down, etc. ? all under very subjective standards which leave a lot of room for abuse and/or mistakes. If you are at all familiar with the USDA's or FDA's track record under their already extensive regulatory authority, you know that it is not exactly exemplary. This history, with respect to small farms in particular, is replete with stories of arbitrary, capricious and often just plain ignorant (and highly subjective) enforcement operations. A little "oops" by the Feds and a small farmer already operating with a very small profit margin faces the risk of being forced out of business.

[Mary Jane Mettin]

I do not understand this big government, and where they get off, thinking they can keep taking away ,little by little, our rights to go about our lives free from the federal interference. Let us decide within our state borders who should be regulated.

[Tony]

Free enterprise is for chumps.

[Chad]

Yeah! It's bad for the environment!

Then again, everything is bad for the environment. Fucking humans.

[MNG]

Got that right. The state needs to control every bit of the economy.

[Barack Obama]

You boys need to have a sit-down with me and Krugman. We've been working on driving a stake through the so-called free market once and for all.

[Karl Marx's Ghost]

You are like, how do you say... a bunch of wantstobes. Your asses are like candy compared to what I accomplished, so-called comrades.

[Kim Jong Il]

Do I qualify?

[Raul Castro]

Fidel and I are still true believers, Comrade Karl Marx's Ghost.

[Bernie Sanders]

Sadly, I am but a mere socialist. Guess that means I won't be invited.

[Michael Moore]

I'm not a communist. I'm merely for "more democracy." For example, I think people should have a say in how businesses run, what kind of activities we should be promoting, what you eat, what you think, what you own, who should own what, what products you can buy, what clothes you can wear, what you are allowed to do with your moeny...you know...democracy!

*Chomps on a huge Burrito*

[Noam Chomsky]

I'm not a communist, I am a libertarian socialist, which is actually what a communist really is. You could also call me an anarchist. Actually Communists like Stalin and Mao are really just right wing, because I disagree with them...although I also defend them. As a libertarian socialist I think we need to remove the capitalist system and I'm against any hierarchy...but maybe some kind of government is needed...you know to make sure there's no property and no capitalism. Maybe some kind of overarching authority which would make sure nobody had more property than another and to make sure everyone had exactly the same resources and opportunities. Hmmm...maybe this authority would need some kind of police force to ensure equitable ends. Maybe have no elections...those greedy capitalist imperialists might take control and oppress us, so why not just have one party leadership. Oh crap. That's China. I still say I'm an anarchist.

Maybe I should stick to linguistics.

[BakedPenguin]

On the spoofers, above - MNG, while he can be a serious dick / borderline troll on some issues (see: anthropologic global warming), has many issues where he is in agreement with libertarians (2nd, 4th amendments, WoD).

With Chony, the only agreement I've ever seen is that they agree the WoD is stupid (which is enough to stop me from insulting them... most of the time.

[#]

MNG is actually somewhat intelligent and engages in argument... you can't say that about chony

[Sandy]

Jill has been fighting the good fight for economic freedom against local politics in her neighborhood as well. I wish I were more of a wine and cheese snob and supported her more tangibly.