About This Blog

Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) was the greatest economist of my time. His greatest works can be accessed here at no charge.

Mises believed that property, freedom and peace are and should be the hallmarks of a satisfying and prosperous society. I agree. Mises proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the prospect for general and individual prosperity is maximized, indeed, is only possible, if the principle of private property reigns supreme. What's yours is yours. What's mine is mine. When the line between yours and mine is smudged, the door to conflict opens. Without freedom (individual liberty of action) the principle of private property is neutered and the free market, which is the child of property and freedom and the mother of prosperity and satisfaction, cannot exist. Peace is the goal of a prosperous and satisfying society of free individuals, not peace which is purchased by submission to the enemies of property and freedom, but peace which results from the unyielding defense of these principles against all who challenge them.

In this blog I measure American society against the metrics of property, freedom and peace.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

What It Will Take To Save This Nation

Will the resurrection of Federalism save this nation? Nope. I think the Great American Experiment proves one thing: it's impossible to design a principled method of government for a citizenry which is, by and large, without principles.


The other day I was watching a religious broadcast on TV. A group of pious ministers was discussing the Christian lifestyle. As an aside, one minister commented that he was able to survive for a time in NYC because he knew how to obtain "free" food by jamming a hat pin into a food vending machine enabling him to take the food without paying for it. A fellow minister in the group laughed and said he wished he had learned that trick when he was a poor student struggling to get through college.

 

If clergymen can't comprehend the inherent evil of theft, why should a politician?

 

Ben Franklin said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."

 

Were The Founders truly virtuous people? I don't know. I do know that precious few Americans today understand the principle of private property and even fewer practice the virtue of honesty. Our culture has rationalized and legitimized theft by accepting and institutionalizing the practice of robbing Peter to pay Paul -- a practice politicians adore and Americans voted to create. The devolution in this nation from federalism to nationalism only made this evil system more efficient.

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