(11-27-2009 10:32 AM)Sunsettommy Wrote: Then it really should be LEFTISTS and LIBERALS?
The confusion seems to be that many Democrats today do not seem to be aware of the difference between the two groups.
I keep wondering why people like Obama and Franken can get elected when they are actually hostile to individual liberties.
That's close. But not all Rightists are really Liberals. True, classic, Liberalism, is composed of about four main tenets: Limited self-government; responsible Individualism; the rule of law; and Free Trade. It is usually the later, which seperates most of the Right. Many call for "Fair Trade", which is really nothing more than protectionism. I have to argue the merits of Free Trade all of the time with many on the Right.
The phrase "Fair Trade" is really nothing more than Protectionism, and strategically is it wrong. My avatar is that of Frederic Bastiat, who wrote
"The Law", and
"That Which is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen". In the later, he begins with,
Quote:In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect, but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate; it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause - it is seen. The others unfold in succession - they are not seen: it is well for us, if they are foreseen. Between a good and a bad economist this constitutes the whole difference - the one takes account of the visible effect; the other takes account both of the effects which are seen, and also of those which it is necessary to foresee. Now this difference is enormous, for it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence is favourable, the ultimate consequences are fatal, and the converse. Hence it follows that the bad economist pursues a small present good, which will be followed by a great evil to come, while the true economist pursues a great good to come, - at the risk of a small present evil.
His point is that it is what is "unseen" that really matters most, and those, who do not take this into account, are going to cause trouble, even though it does not appear that way. Protectionist tariffs are more hurtful to others, even though the the obvious are placated. Dr Walter E Williams talks about this all the time, and quotes Bastiat as often as possible. If you really want to know more, I highly suggest you read Bastiat's work.
Bastiat was perhaps the most influential writer in economics, in the last few centuries. His essays are easy to follow, profound in scope, and easy to pass along to others. Usually, when I point out the importance of the 'unseen' to my brothers on the right, they understand it almost immediately. The key is to get people to pull back the rug, and see what is underneath, prior to making judgment calls about things economic.
I am a dedicated follower of Frederic Bastiat, who was a Genius. Anyway, the issue or Free Trade is what seperates Liberals from others on the Right. And it is the hardest concept to completely understand.
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