The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

The free market
promotes harmony
and cooperation to
increase the standard
of living. On the other
hand, if government
controls the economy,
there will always be
“special interest”
groups competing to
plunder others and
avoid being
plundered.
Alan Burris.
? Limophilia: the
burning desire of
politicians to ride in
limousines.
Blase Harris
Chapter 17 • The Special Interest Carnival
One can now appreciate that many
businessmen oppose a market free from
government intervention! They are often
advocates of government helping them by
preventing competition or by providing low
interest loans, sales assistance, and even
diplomatic or military intervention to protect
their investments or to secure favourable terms
in foreign countries.
The bigger the government, the bigger the
favours they are able to bestow. The horrible
effects on people of Nazism, Communism,
Apartheid, and the dreadful effects on the
environment, would never take place if
individuals were free to make their own choices
in a free-market system.
Background
Logrolling is an American term for the practice of
politicians trading votes to support each other’s
special interest laws. Thus, the farm subsidy law
usually combines many crop subsidies together,
guaranteeing the support of many politicians.
The cost to taxpayers and consumers is spread
among millions of people, while the benefi ts are
concentrated only amongst the farmers.
References
The original idea for this chapter is derived
from David Friedman’s book The Machinery of
Freedom.
For a New Liberty by Murray Rothbard,
gives some great alternatives in tough and
philosophical areas.
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