Barney Frank: “I am speaking for the consumers in favor of the amendment. Let me address the free market question. I have generally…”

“I am speaking for the consumers in favor of the amendment. Let me address the free market question. I have generally believed that we should, when we are dealing with production, rely on the powerful pro-production, pro-efficiency mechanism of the free market. I differ with some of my colleagues here in believing that the government then has some responsibility to provide safety nets. So I want to see these dairy farmers who are not doing well get the benefit of health care. I differ from some of my colleagues maybe in that. I do think, however, we make a distinction. The free market is the best way to govern production. Then the government intervenes to deal with people who may not be doing well. What I am struck by are the number of my colleagues who are ordinarily supporters of the free market who trash it in this regard.”