by Rick Lowe
As this image, sent by a friend, makes patently clear, Freedom is concept human nature desires, yet, as a rule, we elect politicians that take those freedoms away. Incrementally, but surely.
David Boaz of the Cato Institute, provides the key concepts of Libertarianism here…
I hope you will read the article at the link above, but here are his nine main points:
1. Individualism
2. Individual Rights
3. Spontaneous Order
4. The Rule of Law
5. Limited Government
6 Free Markets
7. The Virtue of Production
8. Natural Harmony of Interests
9. Peace
Fred McMahon of The Fraser Institute points out here… that;
“…The level of economic freedom is the product of fights between politicians on one side, who attempt to buy votes by providing interest groups with special benefits through subsidies, regulation, and tax-breaks, and politicians on the other side, who appeal for votes by making the public aware of the cost of the policies advocated by their opponents.
“Those looking to buy votes often hide the costs of these special benefits by using deficit financing, which passes the costs on to non-voting future generations. Inflation caused by deficit-financing often leads to the development of new opportunities for vote-buying policies from interest groups suffering from the consequences of the inflation.“
McMahon also points to a study that highlighted the “burgeoning literature around measures of economic freedom that have entered the public domain since about 1990.”
“The study finds that fights between political parties are a sign of a well-functioning democracy that should be encouraged rather than deplored. The study also implies that parties engaged in these fights should be required to support their policy proposals by benefit/cost calculations reviewed by independent agents; that media should better inform voters about party platforms in the run-up to elections; that prohibitions against deficit financing be created and enforced, and that all new regulations be approved by legislatures rather than adopted by autonomous regulatory authorities."
Many in the political class will suck voters in with their rhetoric of help but as we are seeing with the pile of debt future taxpayers will have to pay, either by ever increasing taxation or a lower standard of living.
Until we demand, and the political class made to deliver cost benefit studies for the polices they propose, and parliamentary debates are focused on policy rather than than defamation and symbolism, chances are freedoms will continue to be lost.
