Kling's Libertarian Propositions


It's all about the freedom and responsibility
Warren Meyer's Coyote Blog has become one of my regular reads. He pointed out this Arnold Kling piece. I'm only going to quote the first four (with added emphasis), but they are all worth your time.

1. Liberty is important for its own sake. People are entitled to make their own choices.

2. There are other values in addition to liberty. However, many noble causes end up infringing on liberty without achieving their desired ends. Government policies should be evaluated on the basis of their consequences, not on the basis of how they make us feel. It may feel good to set a minimum wage, to impose rent control, or to declare a war on drugs, but the evidence is that such policies tend to work to the detriment of their intended beneficiaries.

3. I value relieving the suffering of others. However, compared with liberals, I have considerable humility when it comes to advocating taking other people's money in order to satisfy my urge to alleviate poverty.

4. Corporate power is adequately checked by market forces. Competitors are the main force protecting consumers. Alternative job opportunities are the main force protecting workers. For corporate power to be a threat, it must be allied with government power.

I make the call for individual freedom because "collective freedom" takes choices away from you for your own good and seldom has a positive effect.

You are free because you are human. You cannot be granted freedom by a beneficial government. Freedom can only be taken, never given.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Wed - October 25, 2006 at 07:50 AM  Tag


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