More on Neoliberalism

Those who conflate libertarianism, or classical liberalism, with neoliberalism do so out of ignorance or out of a desire to obscure the distinction between free market/limited government principles and government/corporate enmeshment among power-mongers. Libertarian thought has never claimed that business people act honorably -- crooks can go into business. Libertarians, at least the libertarians associated with the Right, promote limited government, a separation of State and Economy. This doesn't mean regulatory capture, or no regulation. Regulation can take place in a free market without government intervention, except law and court intervention to punish fraud, theft and coercive abuse of power. The problem with statist regulation is that it has favored large corporations which can pay for the cost of compliance, whereas small businesses can't. There is also the problem of lobbying and regulatory capture in the present statist system. Government has become a feeding trough where wealthy interests come to get fed, Business/government arrangements attract the most unscrupulous people in society to play the hardball political game.

Our present government/corporate enmeshment is caused by a government which has gone beyond limitations and now manages the economy, except for small areas of commerce of little concern to the power mongers,i.e., the crumbs of the economy. With a limited government separated from the economy, government officials cannot sell or trade favors, because it won't have the power to do so. As I've said before, our problem is the battle over power, not wealth accumulation. In another post, I will once again write about how a free market can be regulated in the private sector.

Most people who make a lot of money realize they have enough at some point, and making more is not exciting -- what becomes exciting is power. When wealthy individuals with a power-hunger tendency can buy power, this is when we have problems of great wealth inequality. In a free market, there will be individuals who generate lots of wealth, but without power for sell, the game will change and extra wealth will be re-invested in the economy rather than spent to amass power and protection from competition. Most wealthy people also have a lot of creative energy, and if that energy can be channelled into charity or philanthropic efforts, this would be a much more useful to society than amassing power. A limited government and a free market will cut off avenues of power-seeking, and redirect energy over time to productive use. Many businesses get caught up in the Washington statist, power game simply because they have to play the game to survive and be competitive. If the corporate feeding trough is destroyed, these business people will direct their interests elsewhere.

Free competition will prevent those determined to gain power from creating coercive monopolies, and competiton will also place limits on how much wealth can be amassed. When a certain product or service becomes popular with consumers, other players will enter the game, thus spreading the wealth. The Left says these ideas have been discredited, but, to be honest, these ideas have never been fully implemented. Whatever Neoliberalism is, it's not libertarianism.

The American Rebirth Movement -- Part 2

Anyone who has worked in business for any period of time understands the complex nature of competition and cooperation. In real estate, if the broker is working with a home buyer as a buyer agent, the broker must cooperate with everyone involved in the transaction, although there are competing interests. The agent representing the seller is trying to get the highest price and best conditions for the seller, while the buyer agent is trying to get the lowest price and best conditions for the buyer. Both agents involved cooperate to reach a meeting of the minds, and hopefully both sides win. The agent must also cooperate with the lender, attorney, inspectors and anyone else involved in the transaction. The buyer and seller also agree to cooperate, although they have competing interests -- they agree to complete all parts of the transaction in a timely manner -- they agree to be honest and give good information -- they agree to abide by all conditions of the contract, which are required to make the transaction happen. If the buyer is trying to screw the seller, the buyer agent has the responsibility to work with the buyer to show them that if the buyer wants the home they are going to have to be more realistic and enact a certain amount of cooperation or go on to another deal -- the seller is resistant to being screwed, but, if reasonable, is willing to cooperate. There has to be give and take throughout the whole process with everyone competing and cooperating to make the transaction happen. The buyer, if they are getting a loan, is competing with the lender for the best loan. The loan orginator is trying to get the bank the best deal, and the buyer and her agent are trying to get the buyer the best deal, so they all cooperate to come up with a loan with which everyone is satsified. There are other areas of competition and cooperation which must be negotiated, but this gives a picture of the interplay of cooperation and competion and this is how business is done in the free market every day.

 

To hear some politicians and pundits speak, who've never spent much time in the free market world, there are predators and victims -- it's a vicious world where powerful capitalist interests dominate and the consumer is always victimized and oppressed. In more complex industries such as manufacturing, the interplay of cooperation and competion is even more complex, but again, to hear the political class talk, it's all about a grand struggle of workers overcoming the oppression of greedy capitalist owners. The new/old idea in America must be a return to that interplay of competition and cooperation.

 

Underneath it all is also the idea of individualism and community -- the same interplay of competing interests and common interests are present and constantly taking place all across the nation -- so complex that no committee of social engineers will ever be able to control it to whatever ends they propose and aim toward. Unleashing this interplay of competing interests and common interests with common goals that also help each individual, either directly or indirectly, is the vital need we have. America must be allowed to handle its problems.

 

 

Imagine for a minute a nation challenged to handle the problem of access to healthcare. With all that has been learned in business management and technology, and with all the resources which could be channelled toward assistance for those who are disadvantaged, or temporarily in hard times, there's no limit to the creative solutions which could provide healthcare access to everyone who has a need. Just imagine if we droped our divisions long enough to restore America and put it on the right track for the 21st century -- this would be a national goal worth the cooperation -- it would be a national investment. Just imagine if the government backed off coercion and social engineering and presented America with the option of a public/private effort to resolve our most pressing problems.

 

First, the idea of charity must be transformed to remove the shame and the patronizing elements that have made charity so distasteful, and have pushed wrong-headed efforts to make assistance a right equal to our basic rights. It is neither a shameful act nor a right, it's the solution to the problem of those among us who can't help themselves, or those who need assistance to begin helping themselves.

 

Once a national movement is in place with the purpose of designing a private safety net, people will come out of the woodworks to make it happen. The first problem will be to convince people that involvement in the rebirth movement is widespread and supported by some of the most wealthy and powerful people in the country. This type of positive energy can be contagious -- and the transparency of the internet can be a vital tool to show everyone what's ahppening and how it's happening. Once it begins, everyone will be inspired to meet the challenge and make it happen. Societal pressure will prevent the deceitful from taking advantage of the effort or corrupting it. Private organizattions will likely arise to instill integrity and oversight into the effort, so people are informed of efforts to corrupt the effort -- and pity the ones caught corrupting it.

 

The effort would touch the deeper part of the American soul beneath the callouses of cynicism formed from years of dishonest players gaming the system and violating the trust of those willing to help. Above all, this would be a spiritual movement -- not a religious movement, although churches have already been doing this for years -- that calls our humanity to task -- not some misguided altruism based on a moral imperative, but a free choice to join a collabortaive effort to achieve something spectacular and excellent which will also help each individual participating. 

 

Rock bands giving concerts to raise money, billionaires making large contributions, professional atheletes and Hollywood stars putting their money where their mouths are, and all the millionaires across the nation, could jointly do a lot of good work -- plus all the ordinary people like myself willing to do our part. The rebirth movement, though, doesn't need to be a formal movement all under one form of leadership -- it can be like that corny elder Bush phrase -- "A Thousand Points of Light" -- because, although corny, when taken seriously, it's a very powerful and inspiring concept which can be made a reality.

 

I'll drill down a little further later.