Personal Freedoms, Free Markets and Restricting the Power of Government

In my view, Milton Friedman (1912-2006) was the greatest American economist ever. But even if I'm wrong about that assessment and he wasn't the greatest economist, he certainly was the most eloquent and plain spoken one.

In any event, he's had the largest influence on my ability to internalize the direct relationship of (1) free markets to (2) individual freedoms to (3) a nation's prosperity, as well as (4) the fundamental necessity for We the People to be ever vigilant about (5) restricting the powers of government officials.

Thus, it's as easy as 1-2-3-4-5 for me.

Notable & Quotable has this brief quote from Friedman's 1962 book "Capitalism and Freedom:"

"The free man will ask neither what his country can do for him nor what he can do for his country. He will ask rather "What can I and my compatriots do through government" to help us discharge our individual responsibilities, to achieve our several goals and purposes, and above all, to protect our freedom? And he will accompany this question with another: How can we keep the government we create from becoming a Frankenstein that will destroy the very freedom we establish it to protect?

Freedom is a rare and delicate plant. Our minds tell us, and history confirms, that the great threat to freedom is the concentration of power. Government is necessary to preserve our freedom, it is an instrument through which we can exercise our freedom; yet by concentrating power in political hands, it is also a threat to freedom. Even though the men who wield this power initially be of good will and even though they be not corrupted by the power they exercise, the power will both attract and form men of a different stamp."

Summing Up

Promoting self reliance is the key to an informed and prosperous society of self governing individuals.

The more there are of We the People who are financially capable of taking care of ourselves, the fewer redistribution and entitlement programs we'll require as a society.

That means government will be smaller and our individual freedoms will be greater. MOM will rule over OPM.

And the more self reliant we are, the happier we'll be, too.

So while we will always need government and must always be ready to step forward to aid our fellow citizens in need, too much structural reliance on government is never a good thing.

Nor is it ever a good thing to put too much power in the hands of our elected officials.

I'm for individual freedom, and I'm all for helping those who need help. That puts me squarely on the side of individual rights and responsibilities and unalterably opposed to unnecessary and dangerous collectivism.

In the final analysis, I'm for encouraging and assisting our fellow Americans to arrive at a clear understanding that self reliance is a realistically attainable goal for each of us.

Thanks. Bob.