Opus 2023-011: Free Markets Start with Us

We need more free market capitalism and less crony capitalism.  There are some very vital differences.

Free market capitalism sees the prosperity possible in sharing the wealth.  Henry Ford did not want to make inexpensive cars to get rich.  You could do that many ways but he saw an untapped market.  He wanted inexpensive cars to that his workers could afford to buy them.  He would get rich from their prosperity.  It was the economics of scale.

Free market capitalism understands that more wealth can be generated if you have a healthy middle class.  They spend money.  That means you can make money.  Everyone benefits.  The key word is generated.  When the masses do better, everyone does better.

Crony capitalism is based on greed.  Your goal is to get as many of the marbles as you can and at the same time deny marbles to others.  You figure there are only so many marbles and you want them all.  In stead of making more marbles you scramble for what someone else created.  

Free market capitalism believes in generating wealth.  Crony capitalism thinks the only way to gather wealth is to take it away from someone else.  

One of the great barriers to returning to the free market is the entitlement mentality that has overcome America.  It seems like everyone believes that deserve a special deal and that someone else should pay for it.  They never read the story of the Little Red Hen.

You can’t change everyone else.  Your calm voice and consistent example might open a few eyes.  Like free market capitalism, if everyone opened a few eyes eventually there would be enough vision that we could walk down the street without everyone running into walls.  Change those you can.  Be kind to those you can’t.  Remember being kind does not mean financing their irresponsibility.  

If enough of us become part of the solution then we can fix the problem.

homo unius libri