Defining Freedom
Allow me to offer some clarity. When a politician uses the word “free,” replace it in your mind with the word “sanctioned” or “regulated”. For example, when George W. Bush said that he was a supporter of free trade, what he meant was that he supports trade between producer and consumer so long as government oversees every aspect of the transaction, from the raw materials, to the production, to the hiring process, to the taxing of the product, to whether or not the consumer has a license to use the item.
See how bureaucrats can skew your understanding of words? So here are a list of words, defined and used in the proper context, that pertain to the world of economics.
FREE MARKET- also referred to as CAPITALISM,FREE TRADE, OR LAISSEZ FAIRE, is an economic system in which there are no restrictions on the relationship between producer and consumer. In this system, freedom of choice must be the prevalent ideal. People are allowed to buy or sell anything they wish. The “regulation” would come from the reputation of the seller and the quality of his products. If a producer sells a harmful or shoddy product, practices racist or sexist hiring, or lies to customers, he will lose his business because people will choose not to invest in what he sells. It is in this way that the FREE MARKET abolishes discriminatory practices more effectively than the federal government.
However, politicians hate free markets, and will tell their constituents that capitalism is a system of greed that leaves the underclass and minorities poor. How could they possibly make this assumption? No living politician has ever lived under such a market.
If America’s market were truly free, bureaucrats would have to get real jobs.
SOCIAL PROGRAMS-another term severely misused by the government. Social programs are programs such as welfare and affirmative action that are paid for by stealing money from working Americans. If politicians used the term TAXPAYER PROGRAMS, they likely wouldn’t get elected or they wouldn’t receive support for them. SOCIAL PROGRAMS sound like a good thing, the use of the word “social” makes taxpayers believe that they are programs every American can benefit from. The fact is that SOCIAL PROGRAMS represent the worst kind of discrimination an any economic system. They allow certain people to receive benefits from the labor of others. SOCIAL PROGRAMS are rooted in Marxist theory and are always said to have “good intentions”. I’m not sure what your parents taught you, but stealing money from your neighbor to pay for your food is not even an “ok” intention.