In the United States, decisions are made by individuals acting as participants within the market. The federal, state, and local governments, however, make laws protecting private property and regulating certain areas of business. Practiced in the United States today, capitalism would be best defined as an economic system in which individuals own the factors of production, but decide how to use them within legislated limits. Nearly identical to capitalism, the free enterprise system is another definition for the American economy. The free enterprise system emphasizes that individuals are free to own and control aspects of production, yet expands on the fact that government places legal restrictions on freedom of enterprise. Zoning regulations, child-labor laws, hazardous waste rules, and other regulations limit free enterprise to protect the anticipated entrepreneur and his or her surroundings. When such rules are established, freedom has is boundaries and is considered a privilege.
Consumers in a market economy have the advantage of being able to choose among products. Contrasting to freedom of enterprise, freedom of choice applies to only the buyers, not the sellers. Although buyers are free to make choices, the market has grown into an increasingly complex place. A