Equality or individual liberty A primer to progressivism- history, strategies, rules, and applications. The debate equality or individual liberty:
People often conflate equality with individual liberty, believing the two are congruent or can co-exist, but the two are mutually exclusive. Some mistakenly think equality is inherent in the U.S. constitution and feel a moral obligation to pursue and/or defend it. America’s constitution provides individuals with equal protection and equal opportunity, not equality or equal outcomes. Taking property from one and giving it to another robs individuals of their wealth, freedom, and liberty. Forced acquisition, transfer, is totalitarian and is why all Progressive/Marxist governments end as fascist police states.
Many believe the French and American Revolutions were fought for similar principles. This could not be further from the truth. The French fought for social justice and economic equality while Americans fought for independence and individual liberty. The leaders of the French revolution took the heads of the monarchy and upcoming revolutionaries took the heads of the French revolutionary leaders. Americans fought a war for independence whereas the French had riots and bloodbaths. In the last 230 years Americans have thrived under free markets and individual liberty while the French government has failed many times, suffering under a socialist government and economy. Progressive tactics and ideology liken to the French revolution.
Walter E. Williams, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, defines liberty as a peaceable, voluntary exchange without interference by others. Williams claims this voluntary exchange is a recent phenomenon in America, that the norm throughout most of mankind was arbitrary abuse and control by others. Before capitalism, the free market system, the road to riches was through plunder and the enslavement of our fellow man. With the free market system, the road to enrichment is pleasing our fellow man. Adam Smith’s capitalism was based on the principle that the exchange of the products of one’s best efforts for the products of another’s best efforts required people to act virtuously.
Free markets create new wealth and opportunity while Progressivism/Marxism redistributes limited finite resources. Progressivism/Marxism is a finite system that destroys the free market initiative through redistribution. Capitalism, free markets, are structured to peacefully meet the needs of each individual while socialism promotes malcontent and violence. The famous economist Milton Friedman said: “Those people who put equality before liberty are not likely to have much of either. Those people that put liberty before equality are likely to have a large measure of both.” Williams says there is a temptation among all human beings to live at the expense of somebody else (e.g., farmer, businessman wanting subsidies, poor person wanting welfare, healthcare). If someone held a gun to your head to take your property, they would go to jail. But if someone lobbies Washington to pass a law to take your property, it is called compassion and legalized. Sighting UC Berkeley as an example, Williams says that we are losing our liberty and free speech. Ronald Reagan said: “Every time Congress meets; we lose a little bit of our liberty.”
Progressives constantly tout numerous inequities, then demand government intervention. Free markets are blind to inequities and foster equality. People of all ethnicities and/or economic strata may have a hand in a product’s development before it is acquired by the consumer. Some income inequalities can be attributed to people who have found better ways to please their fellow man more than others (e.g., Bill Gates’ Microsoft.) Government intervention, with the creation of occupational license laws, causes other inequities. For example, A NYC taxi medallion cost $700K, which denies thousands of people the freedom to engage in the...