I will be getting into a series on basic economic principles soon. I have done all my research working within the confines of a democratic, free society. The more I thought about it, I started questioning our true freedom. I want to share a few concerns:
Freedom of Property:
Democracy started with the idea that people were willing to pay a body for protection of their property. Although people were willing to give up money for protection, they were not willing to give up their property rights; people maintained that you have the right to do what you want on your land, true freedom.
The world is a different place now. Eminent domain is when the government obtains private property without the consent of the citizen (for a fair market value). The only threshold is that it needs to be used for “public good.” In Lakewood, Ohio, the government forced a family out of their home to build more expensive condominiums. In the City of Meza, AZ, the government forced a man who inherited a brake repair shop from his father out of his shop to sell the land to make way for an Ace Hardware. In New York City, the government forced a man out of his property that his family had owned for over 100 years to make a new headquarters for the New York Times.
There are thousands of gross examples of eminent domain and the threshold seems to be dwindling, along with our property rights.
On a more simple level, my friend tried to build a deck on the back of his house in the suburbs of Minneapolis and the city did not approve the plans. Another friend wanted to take down his one car garage and put in a two car garage and had to go get approval from his city. It was approved, but the fact that they have that power to determine what I do to my house is scary to me.
Freedom of Convene:
A couple was fined $300 in San Juan Capistrano, CA, for having a Bible study. The city said they were fined because they did not have a special permit to transform a residential area into a place where people regularly assemble. In a democracy, people must have the right and freedom to convene.
Freedom to Contract:
Two people should have the right to contract with each other. Even if there are risks involved, parties can negotiate around those risks.
The FDA has shut down local grown farms that sell to neighbors for various reasons. In one instance, the FDA seized a family farm that made cheese because they thought the cheese might have Listeria, despite no proof. The FDA has even shut down lemonade stands. The FDA is one example of a governmental body that is taking away our ability to contract freely with other people. The government does not think we can make our decisions or negotiate, but that we need the government to tell us with whom we can do business.
Freedom to Work:
Did you know that one of three Americans need a license to do their job? In other words, 33% of Americans need permission from the government to do their jobs!
I could go on and on…
The more you think about it, little by little, we are losing bits and pieces of freedom, especially by city ordinances. Every time the government increases, our freedoms decrease. Freedom is an extremely important economic subject because in a “free” economy, resources flow to the most efficient medium. When the government spends money, it is not typically an efficient use of resources. For example, in Los Angeles, $111 million in stimulus dollars translated into just 55 jobs (roughly $2 million per job).
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