How free trade promotes peace and free markets cause virtually everyone to be better off. And, as a bonus, free markets make people pay for discriminating on racial grounds.
“When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will.” Frederic Bastiat.
Thank you for another great article, and I am happy to hear of your positive diagnosis. I have long criticized government restrictions on what citizens may purchase: it's OUR money to do with as we please. Government has no qualification to demand what cars we drive, what toilets to use, how long we can shower, what light bulbs we can choose. This includes choosing to buy foreign goods. Quotas on steel, sugar, and cars favor only special interests while damaging consumers.
Yes, there are common standards, though virtually all people understand and agree: red means stop, reasonable speed limits are uncontested, one foot equals ten inches (which is defined by a metric value!), and certain safety standards are appropriate (most consumers would not know whether their wiring were safe). Certain matters can be debated as if grey: should drugs or prostitution be legal?
"The best government is that which governs least." Improperly attributed to Thomas Jefferson, probably Henry David Thoreau as he promoted anarchy (abolition of government). Let's settle, then, on Friedman: Government is the problem.
Actually, Bastiat never said that. David Hart, who used to work for Liberty Fund and is a Bastiat expert, couldn't find it in anything Bastiat wrote. It's a good line, though. There was a State Department official sometime in the 1950s, I believe, who said something close. I can find the reference if you're interested. (BTW, when I was at the Council of Economic Advisers under Reagan, the State Department was virtually always a good ally on free trade. This is longstanding, and not just specific to the Reagan administration.)
What a fantastic talk. Thanks for posting. Most people in my circle are like your audience members (and I, too, am a recovering skeptic of free markets). I will try to refer them to your writing in the future. It’s obviously very difficult to change people’s preconceived notions but your thoughts are so well presented … I am sure that they can make a difference.
“When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will.” Frederic Bastiat.
Thank you for another great article, and I am happy to hear of your positive diagnosis. I have long criticized government restrictions on what citizens may purchase: it's OUR money to do with as we please. Government has no qualification to demand what cars we drive, what toilets to use, how long we can shower, what light bulbs we can choose. This includes choosing to buy foreign goods. Quotas on steel, sugar, and cars favor only special interests while damaging consumers.
Yes, there are common standards, though virtually all people understand and agree: red means stop, reasonable speed limits are uncontested, one foot equals ten inches (which is defined by a metric value!), and certain safety standards are appropriate (most consumers would not know whether their wiring were safe). Certain matters can be debated as if grey: should drugs or prostitution be legal?
"The best government is that which governs least." Improperly attributed to Thomas Jefferson, probably Henry David Thoreau as he promoted anarchy (abolition of government). Let's settle, then, on Friedman: Government is the problem.
Thanks, Mike.
Actually, Bastiat never said that. David Hart, who used to work for Liberty Fund and is a Bastiat expert, couldn't find it in anything Bastiat wrote. It's a good line, though. There was a State Department official sometime in the 1950s, I believe, who said something close. I can find the reference if you're interested. (BTW, when I was at the Council of Economic Advisers under Reagan, the State Department was virtually always a good ally on free trade. This is longstanding, and not just specific to the Reagan administration.)
A foot equals 12 inches, by the way. :-)
What a fantastic talk. Thanks for posting. Most people in my circle are like your audience members (and I, too, am a recovering skeptic of free markets). I will try to refer them to your writing in the future. It’s obviously very difficult to change people’s preconceived notions but your thoughts are so well presented … I am sure that they can make a difference.
Thanks very much, Petey.