Ravenwood - 11/12/04 06:30 AM
Walter Williams says the reason we are a divided nation is because so many people are dependent on big government.
The reason we've been able to live in relative harmony is that for most of our history government was small. There wasn't much pie to distribute politically.Free market transactions are usually based on mutual benefit. You pay $2 for a gallon of milk because you want the milk and don't feel like buying a cow. The grocery store, on the other hand, would rather have your $2. Both sides walk away from the transaction happy.When it's the political arena that determines who gets what goodies, the most effective coalitions are those with a proven record of being the most divisive -- those based on race, ethnicity, religion and region. [...]
The best thing the president and Congress can do to heal our country is to reduce the impact of government on our lives. Doing so will not only produce a less divided country and greater economic efficiency but bear greater faith and allegiance to the vision of America held by our founders -- a country of limited government.
Many government transactions, however, are based on one-sided benefit. The people that need the benefits don't pay for them, while the people that pay for them don't need them.
Obviously, some exceptions apply.
I've thought that for years. People who live off of the government in any way - teaching, welfare, college professors - are very rarely Republican. Also true for those like trial lawyers, who, while not living directly off the government, require its support to maintain their income.
In a free market you could pay $2 for milk, but with dairy price supports & the New England Milk Compact, you're more likely to pay $4.19. This makes diary farmers & Senators from dairy states happy. The rest of us are not so thrilled.
Posted by: David D at November 12, 2004 9:31 PM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
