The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 WHY CAN'T WE HAVE BOTH? 71government programs which harmrather than benefit him?Another supposedly unpleasantfacet of capitalism is that it appealsto one's selfish nature. Thisis absolutely true. Selfishnessmeans to be primarily concernedwith one's own self-interest. Anybodywho claims to be otherwise iseither a fool or a liar (to borrowan old phrase). Self-preservationis primary to all living things. Ifman were not selfish by nature, hewould be extinct. Yes, capitalismserves the self-interest of eachand every individual. Which simplymeans that capitalism servesthe individual, as an individual.Which is why it should be the economicsystem of the only nationever founded in behalf of the individual-America.It is also said that capitalismpromotes greed. Does it? Who isgreedy: the man who wishes toearn his keep, and keep what heearns? Or the man who wants alegislative advantage, who wishesspecial privilege so he can compete"fairly" in the "free" market?Observe the present clamor atthe doors of Congress for straightfinancial handouts to accommodateevery conceivable whim. The questfor the product of what anotherman has earned constitutes greedin my estimation. Every dollar thegovernment gives away was earnedby a citizen of this country. Itmakes no difference if the citizencan afford it or not. It is a matterof principle; and the principle involvedis the right of the individualto own what he earns, choosehow his earnings are spent, andthe right not to be forced to supporta "spending," "subsidy," or"charitable" program of which hepersonally disapproves.If, for example, I were to askyou for a voluntary contributionto support a farmer too stupid tostop growing crops for which thereis no market, you would undoubtedlyrefuse. Who would voluntarilysupport such a; program? It mightwork the first time around, butit would surely die of its own accordif it were pursued; and in acourt of law it might even be construedas fraudulent.This is but one example of a"program" which would neitherbe tolerated nor sustained on avoluntary basis. The list of selfdefeating,useless, inefficient, anddownright wasteful undertakingsof government is endless,and wellknown to many of us.The Inevitable TrendIt is not my purpose- here toprove that government "manages"economic affairs in the least efficientmanner possible. The situationhere, and throughout theworId, speaks for itself.