The Revolution by Ron Paul

Author:Ron Paul
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Tags: Politics and Government, Autobiography, Presidential candidates - United States, USA, Presidential Candidates, Political, Political Science, U.S. Presidential Elections, United States - Politics and government - 2001-2009, United States - Politics and government - Philosophy, Political Ideologies, Politics & government, Philosophy, Political Ideologies - General, Political Philosophy, Presidents - United States - Election - 2008, 21st century history: from c 2000 -, 2001-2009, Autobiography: General, Biography: General, Elections, United States, 2008, Ron, History of the Americas, Political Process, Presidents, History & Theory, General, Election, Biography & Autobiography, Paul, Biography
ISBN: 9780446537520
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2009-09-24T21:00:14+00:00

“I’m for protecting the health and well-being of both workers and consumers,” McGovern went on. “I’m for a clean environment and economic justice. But I’m convinced we can pursue those worthy goals and still cut down vastly on the incredible paperwork, the complicated tax forms, the number of minute regulations, and the seemingly endless reporting requirements that afflict American business. Many businesses, especially small independents such as the Stratford Inn, simply can’t pass such costs on to their customers and remain competitive or profitable.”

He concluded: “If I were back in the U.S. Senate or in the White House, I would ask a lot of questions before I voted for any more burdens on the thousands of struggling businesses across the nation.” That is an important lesson: government intervention into the economy cannot be assumed to be good and welcome and just.

But that is how it is portrayed in too many of our American history classrooms. It is not unusual for American students to find their textbooks telling them that injustice was everywhere before the federal government, motivated by nothing but a deep commitment to the public good, intervened to save them from the wickedness of the free market. Alleged “monopolies” dictated prices to hapless consumers. Laborers were forced to accept ever-lower wages. And thanks to their superior economic position, giant corporations effortlessly parried the attempts of anyone foolish enough to try to compete with them.

Every single aspect of this story is false, though of course this version of our history continues to be peddled and believed. I don’t blame people for believing it—it’s the only rendition of events they’re ever told, unless by some fluke they have learned where to look for the truth. But there is an agenda behind this silly comic-book version of history: to make people terrified of the “unfettered” free market, and to condition them to accept the ever-growing burdens that the political class imposes on the private sector as an unchangeable aspect of life that exists for their own good.

An argument we hear even now is that a hundred years ago, when the federal government was far smaller than it is today, people were much poorer and worked in less desirable conditions, while today, with a much larger federal government and far more regulation in place, people are much more prosperous. This is a classic case of the post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy. This fallacy is committed whenever we carelessly assume that because outcome B occurred after action A, then B was caused by A. If people are more prosperous today, that must be because government saved them from the ravages of the free market.

But that is nonsense. Of course people were less prosperous a hundred years ago, but not for the reason fashionable opinion assumes. Compared to today, the American economy was starved for capital. The economy’s productive capacity was minuscule by today’s standards, and therefore very few goods per capita could be produced. The vast bulk of the population had to make do with much less than we take for granted today because so little could be produced.

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