Did someone question the merits of free enterprise? I'm confused.

The fact is that free enterprise can fail as well. I think in these discussions we're just talking about what free enterprise has yielded and whether we think it's good or bad for the community, whether it was a success in its own right, and, of course, whether we personally like the living options it has provided the city... all within the context of free enterprise.

But, we should also be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that bricktown is not just the result of free enterprise. A great deal of it has been enhanced with public funds and developed as the result of sweetheart deals. In that context it is completed justified to discuss it within the context of whether or not our public investment has improved the city's competitive position and added to its quality of life. Personally, I think that those that have most directly benefited from public assistance have a greater responsibility to bringing something extra or new to the community, to maximize the community's ROI. In many examples, I think the opposite has happened, where some who have received the greatest gifts from the city have done the least to improve it or made the least amount of effort to give something back.