The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at Wall Street and Broad. (Photo: Reuters)
Why are liberals so against capitalism when so many of them use it to raise funds for their agenda? What does the President have against an economic system that has made so many people so wealthy, and brought the highest standard of living to America?
Well, let’s put it another way. Would you stay in your current job if you had no bills or debts?
I daresay many people would not. And that’s the rub.
Capitalism provides more wealth to more people than any other economic system in the world. Are there robber barons or people who exploit capitalism to their own means?
Certainly.
This happens in every economic system, capitalism is no different in this regard. It is also by nature, cyclical. There are good times and bad times.
Yet, almost invariably the bad times in a capitalistic system happen when an outside force (such as government) tries to tamper with the system for its own prurient means.
Take for example the Great Depression. When you examine the causes for it, you’ll find it was government changing the tax structure on capital gains was behind it. As the paper dealers of Wall Street tried to circumvent tax changes in 20’s they positioned themselves in riskier and riskier ways of finance until the entire system collapsed. But what made it really bad was government trying to correct the natural ebbs and flows of capitalistic success and failures through redistribution of wealth.
In an effort to help everyone, the government made it worse.
Examine the economy today. It is very similar to the Great Depression. People are still in bread lines (45 million on food stamps), people are still without work (highest non participation rate in history) and dictators and criminals are thriving overseas on the weakening of American influence, warring on bother their own people and others. More importantly, more people than ever are working for lower wages, in jobs they don’t want to be doing.
The causes for the economy of today are very similar too — government interference in the free market.
You see, reliance on government makes for good slaves by economic means. You can’t find another higher paying job, because prospects are limited. You tolerate a lot from a lousy job because there are few options in the market. You can’t go anywhere else because to change careers means getting new credentials and degrees, and that is an expensive and laborious process — now that college degrees are so essential to getting a job.
Government interferes in the free market not to empower you, but to empower itself.
Thus, the economic system that socialism and communism creates, forces you into a life that lacks freedom and denies you choices in lifestyle. It controls you by telling you your freedom of choice is dangerous to yourself and others. It controls your behavior by this method, too.
Capitalism is freedom. Freedom means a lack of control by government, and a lack of control means a lack of power.
This is why the real issue in our lives is not who is President, but rather the size and scope of government in our lives.
This is the real threat to freedom.
Thomas Purcell is nationally syndicated columnist, author of the book “Shotgun Republic” and is host of the Liberty Never Sleeps podcast. More of his work can be found at LibertyNeverSleeps.com.
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