What could the government invest in that would help create market demand

So this is a different sort of topic than I normally post. I want people to make a list of the things they see as helping to create demand in the free-market capitalist system that we have in the world, and I want you to explain why you think these items could help.

So here's my list:

1. Education - Getting people to learn new things will help them explore new ideas and concepts which will help them come up with new and evolved ideas on how to fo things. Some of this will lead to marketing new products and services that people may be interested in.

2. Scientific research which will largely do the same thing as above.

3. Data analytics to figure out what people are currently interested in and what shortcomings they are currently experiencing so that they can be improved in the future.

4. Better infrastructure so that things can be moved faster and ideas are shared more quickly.

5. Finally development in new technology. A great example of this is NASA who has helped develop loads of technology that society uses on a regular basis every day.

Education, infrastructure, and direct services.

Education isn't really a direct stimulus, but it allows people to specialize their skills for a higher paying market and builds up one of the few comparative advantages viable in an economy like ours,

Infrastructure and direct services (largely) can't have their production offshored and later imported. Only the materials and components required for those tasks can be. Infrastructure has the additional benefit of making our economic environment more efficient so that facilitating activities such as communication and transportation can be accomplished more easily.

@mattbbpl: Yes, there's definitely more to infrastructure than just transportation.

The government needs to invest in education, healthcare, infrastructure, military and lastly independence in terms of goods and fuel.

@Serraph105:

Except none of those things you posted is a market and in a free market system demand is not created artificially by a centralized bureaucracy. I don't think you have a very coherent grasp of how economics work or even the proper relationship between government, the economy and the citizens.

Right because we clearly don't spend enough on the military already. The rest of your list I agree with.

@Serraph105:

Except none of those things you posted is a market and in a free market system demand is not created artificially by a centralized bureaucracy. I don't think you have a very coherent grasp of how economics work or even the proper relationship between government and the citizens.

I said it would help create demand not create a market, and yeah technically it would be a market influenced by outside sources, but what free market system wouldn't be?

It's worth noting that this topic is supposed to be about posting your own ideas, and not about spending your entire time critiquing others without first contributing.

@Serraph105:

It's also worth noting you seem to think the government should control everything so it's safe to dismiss you as a communist.

If all you wish to do is name call then please leave.

There are indeed markets for education, scientific research, data analytics, technologies, and infrastructure.

Demand absolutely can be stimulated by "a central bureaucracy". It is the central idea behind both fiscal and monetary policy - that such actions can positively or negatively impact economic growth.

Well he was strictly talking about a free market system and in that case he is right. The problem is, like you, I, and almost everyone else here knows, a free market economy doesn't exist, and it doesn't exist for a good reason. This is all made even more humorous by his attempting to criticize other peoples knowledge of economics.

That's exactly right. If he's referring to a purely free market then he's drawing from an empty well. If he's referring to what is generally considered a market - where companies are willing to provide said goods/services and customers are willing to pay for said goods and services - then every one of those is a market.

War

You cant go wrong by investing in education. Like to see them invest in the Mars mission as well. The mission to the moon helped launch a lot of science careers and paid for itself with all the technology that came into the market.

Healthcare, Education, Infrastructure, Alternative Fuels.

We already invest in all those things. If you want them to invest more, then we need to refer to the balance of economies. It would be like asking you to donate an additional % of your income into all these ventures, you could but you might have to give something else up in return. If you can afford to do so then by all means, please donate to the NEA to improve public education or the institute of sustainable infrastructure...why you no donate?...oh that's right, you want everyone's taxes to go higher instead or maybe you live in a fantasy world and don't realize you already pay for these things (assuming you work)...makes sense.

Less military spending..........

I'd also like to invest in the children. We need to teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride.

Pogs. Alf pogs.

This. A free market system would minimize government interference regardless of whether the intent is to "help" or not.

This is a Utopian idea, its not applying how power and money work in the real world. I get it, i would consider myself a marxist if we were discussing Utopian ideas, but its not something id attempt to apply to the real world because i know its not how mankind works. So even if we wanted to go with this idea of minimized government in the "free market", we have all of human history to demonstrate that we would be counting down the seconds before someone with more money and power, started removing the "free market" in order to gain more money and power... this is Orwell 101.

@Serraph105: scrapping the patent system would drive innovations to new heights and promote un precedented prosoperity for the middle and lower class.

I think there's a lot more nuance to the issue than that, but also I'm not the one who's been arguing with you. Why do you keep telling me?

Education, healthcare, infrastructure. Imagine how much better things would be if we didn't spend trillions on bombing other countries and instead spent our taxes on really protecting ourselves with quality healthcare, like Canadians do.

Infrastructure and healthcare seem to be the main concerns.

You got some Zero Hedge articles to back that up, fam?

No, but I have gallup polls to back them up.