Friday, December 21, 2012

Explaining politicians

Light blogging due to Xmas rush; still finishing and framing commissions due for delivery Xmas eve. But this is worth a wider read. Again from the Future Freedom Foundation, one of the few daily newsletters I always look at:

With government controlling more and more of our economy, the fact that crooks have to go where the money is causes more and more of them to turn to government employment. However, there is probably an even stronger reason for individuals to become politicians. That is the power which accompanies political office. Many idealists think they know better than the ordinary person what is good for that person. They consider themselves a cut above the ordinary individual who just isn’t smart enough to know what he or she should do. Idealists seek government power to impose their ideas upon the rest of us. They may be personally honest insofar as not thinking of lining their own pockets with money but have little compunction about bolstering their egos with government power. This attitude explains the environmentalists, the do-gooders, and others whose ego causes them to seek government power to impose their ideas upon those of us who just want to make our way in a free market in open competition with everyone else. They don’t believe in a free market or voluntary actions. They do believe in controlling others by means of government power.
 
– Harry Hoiles
(Harry Hoiles passed away in 1998, former owner of Freedom Publications)

5 comments:

S. Beast said...

Timely given the recent payrise wave in the Beehive.

It does seem inappropriate given the increase in workload of the public servants below them thanks to a large number of redundancies. And before anyone starts about the bloated public service, there aren't enough of the buggers to run things properly and our government agencies are falling apart at the seams.

thor42 said...

A very good post.

Never has the old saying seemed more apt -
"Do as I say, not as I do."


Mark Hubbard said...

S. Beast, you're missing the point entirely. We free men don't want government running anything other than law and order (non initiation of force). And heaven help us if they were running anything 'properly': few businesses could survive if they were.

Anonymous said...

government running anything other than law and order (non initiation of force)

I really really don't understand the stupid leftertarian point why the police, army, gaols, not to mention private security - should be "run by the government".

I hire private armed security for my business, I hire mediators and enter arbitration agreements, and once again private provision is far far better and more responsive than the government could ever be.

James said...

"I really really don't understand the stupid leftertarian point why the police, army, gaols, not to mention private security - should be "run by the government".

Firstly Libs don't want Government running private security....where did that come from? The reason they SHOULD run the police ,courts and military is that these functions need to be carried out Objectively without favour for any group or person in the society. Private options cannot do this...