I thought I was a libertarian, free market capitalist. I have a BA in economics and I believed in the market mechanism as the most efficient way to allocate resources. I believed the government’s role was to intervene when, for whatever reason, markets failed. One of my more ‘controversial’ opinions as a conservative was believing greenhouse gas pollution was a negative externality and that the government had an obligation to step in and make sure the cost was included in the price. In law school I was an officer in the federalist society. I learned a lot more about everything the government does and doesn’t do in the economy. And my thinking evolved. One day I read a quote that suddenly crystallized my thinking: ‘free markets are barter agrarian economies with a constant threat of violence.’ Or something like that. Anyways, I realized there is no such thing as a free market. Every significant market exists because it has been designed and regulated by a government. I passed the CFA exams and now work as an investment analyst. My conviction in the importance of government regulation in markets has only grown. Now my controversial opinion is that bureaucrats need to be some of the smartest and well-paid members of society. Every transaction has at least 3 parties (one being the government). I’d like to see PHDs aspiring to land jobs at regulatory agencies.