Quote of the Day

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There is one aspect of the change in moral values brought about by the advance of collectivism which at the present time provides special food for thought. It is that the virtues which are held less and less in esteem and which consequently become rarer are precisely those on which the British people justly prided themselves and in which they were generally agreed to excel. The virtues possessed by Anglo-Saxons in a higher degree than most other people, excepting only a few of the smaller nations, like the Swiss and the Dutch, were independence and self-reliance, individual initiative and local responsibility, the successful reliance on voluntary activity, noninterference with one’s neighbor and tolerance of the different and queer, respect for custom and tradition, and a healthy suspicion of power and authority.

F.A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom

4 thoughts on “Quote of the Day”

  1. Scary how much in that book seems applicable today….

    – Madhu

    *On the healthy suspicion of power and authority: it’s, like, in my generally progressive environs, all that is left of such a sentiment is distrust of big bad corporations, without the realization that the sleaziest corporation of all might be the federal government.

    **Relax, not business-bashing (there is too much of that already), just playing with words and ideas, that’s all.

  2. “…not business-bashing …”

    Bash away. The biggest threat we face is an alliance between government and business. Large businesses don’t want a market economy, they want a favorable regulatory regime that protects them from competition, and compels their suppliers, customers and employees to deal with them on their terms.

    People like Sen. Dodd are not smart enough to get to the toilet by themselves. They are handpuppets for very smart lobbyists who write the laws that protect incumbents and create rent-generating niches protected by law and regulation.

  3. sleaziest corporation of all might be the federal government – and the consequent comment by Lex:

    they are not even original. That has been invented by Mussolini’ Corporatist State. with one difference: Il Duce didn’t neglect his country’s Defense.

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