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Moving toward Freedom

Published November 15, 2011 in Talking Points by Sharon Harris

 

Can we achieve a free society? I believe we can.

History is on our side. Whenever something has been separated from the state, it has proven to be better for the people involved, for the activity itself, and for society.

Consider religion. The King was once considered God's representative. How dare anyone suggest that virtue could exist in society if the state didn't force religion on everyone. Surely there would be chaos and barbarism.

But look what happened when church and state were separated. Churches blossomed and grew. Society was much better off once the government's Crusades ended. And when the church-state Inquisition ended. And when the state no longer burned "witches" at the stake.

Think about the wonderful benefits that have come from separating speech and state — politically, culturally, and personally.

Separation of economy and state — to the extent that it's been done — has produced flourishing economies with prosperity beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

The privatization revolution has produced savings of 50% or more and amazing efficiency. I look forward to even more separation of garbage collection and state.

The next major separation I would like to see is separation of SCHOOL and state. Getting government out of education would provide huge benefits for everyone – especially lower-income families who now must send their children to the worst government schools.

Whenever someone advocates that something else be separated from the state, the idea is considered heretical, unachievable, even undesirable. But, from the grand (like education and free speech) to the mundane (like garbage collection), separation always leads to a better world for everyone.

The idea of replacing coercion with liberty is as exciting as the revolt against the divine right of kings – and as important as the revolution to end slavery.

Utopia is not an option, but in a free society we can get a heck of a lot closer to it than we are now.

Do you want a free society too? Learn the best communication tips to spread the ideas of Liberty to your friends and family. 

Showing 8 Comments

Pubilshed November 19, 2011 by Ssenkrad

Gravatar Yes, history is on our side, but many people today are ignorant of the past and will only repeat it. I hope a lot more people wake up and learn that liberty is the best policy, in all facets of life.

Pubilshed December 09, 2011 by Vernon E. Woods

Gravatar This nation is bigger and more far reaching than Rome ever could have imagined.But just like Rome the people have become complacent.Looking for the dole and expecting some one else to take care of their problems. Mr Franklin said any one that gives up their liberty for safety and security deserves neither. I fear if people don't wake up there may not be much liberty left.

Pubilshed December 10, 2011 by BillyAkerman

Gravatar The people are ignorant because of their brain-washing from the government education system. Dumbing down America has been the goal of the establishment since 1973 with the creation of the Dept. of Education. I'm happy to say that my daughters are homeschooled.

Pubilshed December 11, 2011 by mahilena

Gravatar Well Franklin was wrong, giving up your liberty to the private strong capitalist is changing one master for the next...there is no such thing as absolute freedom, only relative to the master you select..Never in the history of this country has anything flourished by separating the public and the private sectors, maybe flourished for a while until the darwinian strongest or fittest try to take more from the weaker...then recession begins and government must re-intervene. These comments as the author correctly states are just idealism..

Pubilshed December 11, 2011 by mahilena

Gravatar If You Oppose Tyrannical Government,Then Oppose Tyrannical Capitalism! Capitalism is the private monopoly of society's productive powers Capitalism is the Monarchy of economics, as each person is dependent and submissive to a single lord or group of lords who determine their liberties, their privileges, and their right to life. To oppose governments that are oppressive limit freedom is logical. But if you do not oppose capitalists that are exploitive and starve their people, then you are in a contradiction. Liberty is based on autonomy -- the individual being the person who has the greatest effect in determining their own destiny. In Capitalism, the individual must submit to their bosses each must become a worker or a laborer in one some way. They have no right to determine how much they earn, when they work, how they work, when the industry has a boom or a bust. They are completely at the mercy of their vassal lords, whose edicts and laws of economy send billions into poverty. There is no autonomy in Capitalism, as there is no liberty in Capitalism. The only individual with liberty is the Capitalist, who can buy and sell people, because of their isolated power of economy -- just as the dictator and the despot bought and sold people, because of their isolated power of politics. If there is not slavery by government force, then there is slavery by market domination. Government Chains are one form of threat; starvation is another. One is enacted by a monopoly of force; the other is enacted by a monopoly of land, factories, and productive forces of society. In the one case, a person must work, because they are threatened with the bodily harm of imprisonment, torture, and execution. In the other case, a person must work, because they are threatened with the bodily harm of starvation. By possession of all the lands, the capitalist has significantly greater bargaining power than any of the propertyless workers. With this advantage, they can negotiate to the position where the laborers are living a bare minimum of existence -- poverty, unemployment, and starvation wages. The capitalist is the authority of the economy, as the state is the authority of politics -- they are equal tyrants

Pubilshed December 11, 2011 by mahilena

Gravatar Albert Einstein, “Why Socialism? “Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital, the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.” The situation prevailing in an economy based on the private ownership of capital is thus characterized by two main principles: first, means of production (capital) are privately owned and the owners dispose of them as they see fit; second, the labor contract is free. Of course, there is no such thing as a pure capitalist society in this sense. In particular, it should be noted that the workers, through long and bitter political struggles, have succeeded in securing a somewhat improved form of the “free labor contract” for certain categories of workers. But taken as a whole, the present day economy does not differ much from “pure” capitalism. Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an “army of unemployed” almost always exists. The worker is constantly in fear of losing his job. Since unemployed and poorly paid workers do not provide a profitable market, the production of consumers’ goods is restricted, and great hardship is the consequence. Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all. The profit motive, in conjunction with competition among capitalists, is responsible for an instability in the accumulation and utilization of capital which leads to increasingly severe depressions. Unlimited competition leads to a huge waste of labor, and to that crippling of the social consciousness of individuals which I mentioned before. http://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism

Pubilshed December 17, 2011 by Benjamin Jarvis

Gravatar "But taken as a whole, the present day economy does not differ much from “pure” capitalism." Are you out of your mind? Nice copy paste job by the way. How can you possibly say all that with the economic interference of: massive regulation(look @ our federal registrar); the Federal Reserve printing money and artificially lowering interest rates without any scrutiny from congress; a Government that 'steals' my property to benefit who IT sees fit... You paste as if you buy into this notion of 'Capitalism is inherently evil dude'... well let me tell you, it's not. Greed is not a result of Capitalism! Greed is a flaw in an individual's character, morals and common decency. You can not compare pure free-market capitalism with the present day economy and say it's basically the same. I know you'd love to live in mediocrity, cause it's easy, and you probably don't give a crap about bettering yourself or your family. 'Social Justice Bro!' Stop pretending you care for the "oppressed". For in your twisted world there will always be the Oppressor and the Oppressed. Always pitting people against each other. Unlimited competition leads to innovation. I'm going to be the best person I can be. I get better everyday, and try to bring as many as I can on the sweet ride of life. I strive to procure freedom for my fellow man in the future, so they may decide, for themselves, the best way to live their lives. Get on board the freedom train, or get out of the way! The ultimate problem is government intervention, and to believe that doesn't differ much from pure capitalism is foolish.

Pubilshed January 13, 2012 by David Schmidt

Gravatar @mahilena You seem to be mixing up "crony capitalism" or with a true free-market economy. In "crony capitalism," (also called "state socialism") those who have the best lobbyists, the best lawyers, the best political connections, and who are the most ruthless at using the power of the state to enrich themselves and crush their competition are the most successful. In a free-market economy, success is dependent solely on providing the public with quality goods and services at the best prices. Which do you think is a better description of the way our economy works now?

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