When bashing business advances liberty

Stephan, good points about the pitfalls of outreach to the left. I certainly do not expect a wave of conversations to libertarianism from explaining to leftists that their true enemy is the corporate state, not the market. I also would never suggest that we downplay our opposition to welfare, environmentalist, forced unionism, Wal-Mart bashing, all forms of taxation, or any other state intrusion on the market to appease the left.

However, I do believe we may be able to gain some converts among well-meaning leftists who sincerely care about helping low-income people (as opposed to those leftists who give lip service to the cause of the downtrodden but really only care about increasing state power) by educating them in the ways the welfare-warfare state enriches powerful interests at the expense of workers and consumers.

Exposing how many businesses work to undermine liberty can also help expose those who give lip service to the market but are in fact little more than apologists for the corporate state. For example, our old friend the beltway libertarian. The beltway libertarian may give lip service to ending corporate welfare, but places a much higher priority on ending welfare for those not in a position to make lavish donations to DC think tanks. The beltway libertarian would also never challenge the cult of the Fed because that would cause him to lose “respectability.”

Click here for a look at business history of working with the state to undermine the market. Click here for an interesting take on the dilemma of auguring against socialism without seeming to defend the corporatist status quo.

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7:28 pm on September 7, 2006