Government intervention consistently raises prices. (...) The main thrust of the libertarian argument isn't to just say, well, the rich will be charitable and will help the poor. (...) History says that they will be but that's not the main argument. The main argument that I prefer (...) is that on the free market prices tend to fall, equality tends to rise. So any issue that may exist with poverty is likely to be alleviated over time.

lengthyounarther "Market Myths and the Mixed Economy"