Among other consequences of the earthquake in Haiti was the collapse of their government. The people of Haiti now have a rare opportunity to reconstruct their politics (or antipolitics). Of course, the priority of all the foreign governments will be restoring to power as quickly as possible the prior corrupt and useless regime that kept Haitians, an industrious and successful people in freer societies, in fourth world-style grinding poverty.
What we need, long story short, is an intellectual relief effort for Haiti led by libertarians and proponents of the free market. Let’s rent a charter flight and get 100 or so of our best people in there to explain to the people that they do have another option, that they don’t have to sit idly by while foreign troops reimpose the prior tyranny (as they did in Kuwait), that liberty is another option!
You may say, gee Jim, this is an emergency. This is not time for politics (or antipolitics). The answer to that was given many years ago by libertarian pioneer F. A. “Baldy” Harper: It is during emergencies when we need liberty most urgently!
For example, we are already hearing the clueless MSM complain of the imaginary crime of “price gouging,” such as higher prices for gas. Let’s hope the price of gas has risen. That’s the markets’ way of making sure that the highest and best uses for gas, e.g., for hospital generators, are being met while the lower and more casual uses, say, a Sunday drive through the countryside, are deferred till the crisis is over.
At the very least, our rescue effort could set up a truth squad to immediately rebut politicians’ lies and media propaganda.
6:36 am on January 15, 2010
