"Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others."

"One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary."

Ayn Rand

Rand put it best in her 1973 article, “Censorship: Local and Express”:

“The conservatives see man as a body freely roaming the earth, building sand piles or factories -- with an electronic computer inside his skull, controlled from Washington . The liberals [the Democrats] see man as a soul freewheeling to the farthest reaches of the universe -- but wearing chains from nose to toes when he crosses the street to buy a loaf of bread.”

Further on, she notes:
“…Each camp wants to control the realm it regards as metaphysically important; each grants freedom only to the activities it despises….. ‘Control,‘ to both camps, means the power to rule by physical force. The conservatives want to rule man’s consciousness; the liberals, his body.”

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal - Part 3

I just wanted to finish my initial series on Capitalism. If you know history, you know how bad living conditions were in the middle ages. And you know what the dominant philosophy was for those 1000 years of no progress. Then the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason resulted in the Industrial Revolution, primarily in Great Britain. That spread to America as it was just beginning its grand experiment. During these periods, science and reason reigned, leading to a rapid and widespread improvement in the life of nearly everyone in the Western world.

The economic and social system that sprouted in England and came to fruition in America was Capitalism. It was the social system that recognized reason and individual rights, and allowed men to live together peacefully and prosper. It is the only system ever to allow man to live like man, and protect his right to life, liberty, and property.

Unfortunately, there were flaws in the structure of the system set up by the Founding Fathers when they drafted up the Constitution, so a pure Capitalist system was never fully realized. But during its early years, before government intervention gained a foothold, Capitalism gave America its greatest period of freedom and progress it has ever seen. The period of the mid 19th century to the early 20th, some of the greatest innovators and industrial giants of this or any other country brought prosperity we’re still reaping today.

I’ll write another time about the reasons that Capitalism, pure laissez-faire Capitalism, was never fully realized in this or any other country. Statism has had a part in our economy since day one, and has grown steadily ever since. Today, although Capitalism is being blamed for the economic woes of the world, it is government intervention in the economy that is wrecking havoc. Every year the number of laws and regulations is growing. And the new administration has just announced its intent to introduce many more. How is this freedom?

The proper role of a government in a free society is to protect the rights of individuals. Taking over health care, banks and schools does not entail protection of rights. Despite the modern mantra, you do not have a right to health care (more on that later also).
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