Economic Evolution–A Warning
For those of you that think the European economic system is wonderful…please move there for a while. For those of you that do not, here is some historical perspective on the battles being fought politically and economically here today:
Dictatorial measures, rapidly multiplied, have tended to continually narrow the liberties of individuals and have done this in a double way. Regulations have been made in yearly-growing numbers, restraining the citizen in directions where his actions were previously unchecked, and compelling actions which previously he might perform or not as he liked; and at the same time heavier public burdens, chiefly local, have further restricted his freedom, by lessening that portion of his earnings which he can spend as he pleases, and augmenting the portion taken from him to be spent as public agents please.
This quote was taken from Herbert Spencer in his book The Man Versus the State published in England in 1884. I hope that as we move into this new year we will keep in mind that the political debates that are raging today are not merely rhetorical devices used by politicians…they are, of course, but they are also battles for the very soul of who we are and where we will head as a nation over the next 100 years.