Long before the New Deal, long before ObamaCare, long before the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the original evil socialist program was marriage.

 

If you were a man who had a special woman in your life, the state was willing to recognize your bond.  Inevitably the state could regulate the intuition(which races could marry etc), subsidize the institution and  bestow certain privileges on those who collaborated with the institution and tied the knot. 

 

Occasionally, laws would come out which would attempt to tolerate moderate spousal abuse, later the law would attempt to ban it outright.  The state would decide how property would be distributed after a divorce, the state would decide if someone need be at fault in a divorce.

 

And all the while, in a nation where there are thousands of cell phone contracts, no one would question why we had such a limited selection of marriage contracts.   (Though you always could move to a different states, so there were 50 ways to be oppressed.)

 

Now that the gays have pushed to make the institution more inclusive, and conservative Christians are pushing back, maybe we can finally drive a stake through the heart of evil monster.

 

Kill the institution of marriage. Ban marriage for straights and gays.

 

After marriage is dead, people will draw up their own contracts.  If you are a man and want to get another man to commit to you, create your own contract. Let homosexuality, heterosexuality and polygamy flourish, as long as it is not tainted by the mark of the state.

Recently I picked up Sam Walton's autobiography "Made in America".  Can't really recommend it.  Gave a little bit of useful information, but was really pretty dry.  Sam Walton comes across as a pretty corny redneck... though I do admire his fanatical values of thrift, which he apparently carried into his personal life.

It did occur to me though, that perhaps Walmart really is the greatest corporation in the history of the world.  Granted, there is no objectivity in a judgment like this.  Apple is cool. Microsoft is incredibly formidable.  There are a lot of good choices out there.

The reason I find Walmart so inspiring is because no other company is so closely associated with the economic doctrine of comparative advantage.  Through the products it retails, Walmart has indirectly transformed the world economy. They have brought thousands and thousands of jobs to foreign nations, nations that would be far worse off without them. They've also dramatically improved the standard of living for poor and working class Americans by slashing prices.

I don't think any book or article has really captured the magic of this company.    I've heard there is a Penn and Teller skit defending Walmart, I'd love to see it.

This is also a good article:  here.

Walking into a Walmart can be a near religious experience.  You see ethnic diversity, you see the future of America, the vibrant America that has lots of children and will someday inherit the nation.  But the experience becomes even more awe inspiring when one considers the experience of the workers who created shirts, shoes and radios being sold here. What must it be like for a Chinese villager, willing to travel thousands of miles for the chance to work in a factory to make products to be sold in Walmart? Perhaps the adventure of a lifetime. They certainly wouldn't be so eager to go if it wasn't  an amazing opportunity.

In short, Walmart is a wonder of the world. Unlike the pyramids, no one had to lose their rights for it to for it be created. 

I'd like to share this very informative article about hunger in America.

http://mises.org/story/3776

Part of the problem with debates on economics is that people throw around terms like "starvation" etc.    No doubt people are eating unhealthy, people are worried they could starve and a few people even miss a meal once in a while.  But actual starvation in America is almost unheard of.

Did I get your attention?

 

I realize that many bloggers are Democrats and believe in universal health care.   I used to feel that way.

 

This is the best blog for the liberal who is starting to have doubts about his idealogy:

http://mises.org/

 

Capitalism has given us a great standard of living. Perhaps your journey from Liberal to Libertarian can begin today.