“Therefore ameliorative government becomes a magnet for factions muscular enough, in money or numbers or both, to bend government to their advantage. When government embraces redistribution, it summons into existence factions eager to get in on the action.”
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Don Boudreaux at Cafe Hayek quotes from Deirdre McCloskey’s outstanding Bourgeois Equality in his Bonus Quotation of the Day: Members of the left clerisy, such as Tony Judt or Paul Krugman or Thomas Piketty, who are quite sure that they
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Political terms evolve and Kevin Williamson makes an rare but important distinction. Providing for the poor from the public sector is not not synonymous with socialism. Socialism is more about government control of the economy than mere redistribution. from Venezuela
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“By now it should be clear how all this relates to the “improvidence of the poor.” Unfortunately, talking about the self-defeating choices poor people so often make generates a lot of discomfort, because it is usually the first step of
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From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review Donald Boudreaux writes Questions for redistribution’s proponents Excerpts: • Suppose that Jones chooses a career as a poet. Jones treasures the time he spends walking in the woods and strolling city streets in leisurely reflection; his
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From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review Donald Boudreaux writes Questions for redistribution’s proponents Excerpts: • Do you teach your children to envy what other children have? Do you encourage your children to form gangs with their playmates to “redistribute” toys away
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Donald Boudreaux wrote an excellent piece Questions for redistribution’s proponents: A few gems: • While Dr. Smith earns more money than does poet Jones, poet Jones earns more leisure than does Dr. Smith. Do you believe leisure has value to
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With Pelosi explaining that unemployment benefits are the best form of stimulus spending and the President suggesting that further regulation actually creates jobs, it is hard to conceive of more misguided economic thinking. On a tour in China economist Milton Friedman asked
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John graduated high school. Being of good character but not being a great student , he got a job in contracting starting at $30,000 a year. He was dependable and was promoted to supervisor. Over thirty years his income grew
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