I like the way you write and the way you think, Lori. You are a NWAKFR (nerd with a knack for rhetoric).

This would be good material for our Economical Bestiary.

Have you seen my comments about non-ideological language in Analyzing mixed socio-economic systems?

We are all agorists and counter-economy users up to a point. Agorism and electoral politics are co-dependent.

People tend to have unrealistic expectations for unfettered freedom and liberty. The counter- economy has rules and conventions.

So the question is where is the point of diminishing returns on socio-economic balkanization (anything goes, somewhere) and, at the other extreme, excessive consensus-seeking (our "more perfect union")?

Balance. An old proverb goes "less is more". It should go "less is more, up to a point."

Another expression for "equal footing" is "level playing field". That reminds me of Mark Twain's comments about warped billiard tables. Of course the wily old coot liked them because it gave him an advantage.

PR