That's the question pretty much everyone in the medical-freedom movement is asking. We all recognize how very broken – broken beyond what many of us had imagined – our political and economic systems are. But how to fix them? And what to put in their place?

To further complicate matters, most of us – even long-time medical-freedom advocates – have been brought up with the official narratives regarding political and economic systems. Foremost among these narratives: That freedom – economic freedom in particular – can be a dangerous thing, and sometimes we need the government to "step in" and make things safe.

So when I reply to Toby Rogers, as I did about a year ago, it is that narrative that I am addressing.

Toby had another piece up last week, in which he poses the question:

"Underneath our pleas for bodily autonomy I think that we're actually arguing for a return to political and economic liberalism (free people and free markets). But I think that we need to have a conversation about the limitations and contradictions of that approach. The question I would like for us to discuss is…

"Did liberalism fail?"

My response follows:

There is a lot to respond to here, but I'll just try to hit the most important points, and make an attempt at answering your questions:

1. "But we immediately come upon a paradox: The wealth of Scotland during Smith's era did not come from the baker, the brewer, and the butcher."