Economics is a relatively new science. It is called a dismal science by some. Others refuse to acknowledge it as a science altogether. Rather, for them it is a branch of what is dubiously called “political science” (an oxymoron if there ever was one) propagated by bourgeoisie sycophants. Before moving on, let’s quickly dispense with this nonsense. It is quite obvious to anyone participating in the libertarian or free market movements today that the biggest threat to freedom in the last few decades has come from the right—the supposed bourgeoisie—which uses the state to impose a form of “state capitalism” (distinct from free market capitalism) on society whereby they use the state to limit free competition, tilt the playing field, and earn “rent”, or income over and above what the free market would have earned them. These robber barons are no friends of free market capitalism which is for the young and not so rich who wish to become rich one day. It is the untried type. And that is a fact that has yet to dawn on the left wing strata of modern society who seem to believe that if only we could tie the hands of the rich—so they cannot use the state in this way— then the field would be open for the left to achieve their egalitarian utopia. The point is that the voice of freedom and free market capitalism does not come from the left, center, or right, in the traditional sense. Rather, it comes from all of those corners to one extent or other, though usually a very minor extent of each. Free market capitalism is laissez faire capitalism which means little or no government. And although the right claims this idea rhetorically, it has scarcely ever really aimed for it. It simply pays lip service to it, and that plays right into the hands of the socialists.

Mitt Romney does not represent my interests. If you are for free market capitalism and think that he represents your interests then you are really deluding yourself. The only “politician” whose platform seriously aimed at free market capitalism in any sense that is consistent was Ron Paul’s, and the reason he lost is because most people don’t want free market capitalism. They want some bullshit between outright socialism and state controlled capitalism. They want economic fascism, except they would never call it that because most are ignorant about what the term means. It does not necessarily impute militarism, though if it did who could really argue that the US has not become almost completely fascist anyway, with a police state harassing hard working citizens at home and a military empire murdering and intimidating foreign peoples abroad all in the name of freedom!

Economic freedom – laissez faire capitalism – is for the young and enterprising, not the rich and powerful. And the latter hate it as much as the socialist utopian. Once you get old and rich, and powerful, cozying up to the state is a much easier way to maintain your wealth than by promoting genuine free competition, which is usually no longer in your interest.

“The rich, the owners of the already operating plants, have no particular class interest in the maintenance of free competition. They are opposed to confiscation and expropriation of their fortunes, but their vested interests are rather in favor of measures preventing new- comers from challenging their position. ‘Those fighting for free enterprise and free competition do not defend the interests of those rich today. They want a free hand left to unknown men who will be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow and whose ingenuity will make the life of coming generations more agreeable. They want the way left open to further economic improvements. They are the spokesmen of progress.” – Ludwig von Mises (Human Action, pp. 83)

Naturally, you would still wish to defend the property rights doctrine if only to keep the lefties from outright expropriating your stuff, but there is no need to be consistent in your philosophy. In fact, in an educated world, many of the envious statists would be surprised to learn that their regulatory lobbies tend to work in your favor by raising the costs of entry and competition.

via Freedom: A Truly Unknown Ideal | The Dollar Vigilante.

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