Real Freedom Requires Free Enterprise and Free Markets

I am a realist enough to understand that most of our markets are not completely free. Your freedom is threatened when you are not allowed to make your own choices about what you wish to spend your money on. You absolutely should be allowed to make that choice. It's core to your freedom.

Here is an example. In PA (where I live) I have Utility Choices. Even though they are not unlimited I do have some choices. One choice is to pay extra per kilowatt to use power from certain sources. If it was important to me I could choose to spend more to power my house with wind generated energy and choose to spend less on generic baby diapers. Nothing wrong with that. Choices are good. (Generally speaking. Bad when they are subsidized but that is an issue for another time) The problem occurs when the Government decides that you should not have the Freedom to make your own choices because you might not make the one that they want. People shouldn't be punished or unfairly taxed because they choose to buy something that some government official happens to disagree with. If I am being punished or taxed to make the choice they want me to make I am not free. (Like in the Cap and Tax energy bill that passed the House of Representatives on Friday without anyone reading the bill, AGAIN!)

Here is another example. Arbitrary bailouts are also the polar opposite of freedom and free markets. I, as the taxpayer, should not be forced to have money redirected from my earning and used to give an unfair advantage to a particular car company. I lose the freedom of being able to choose the best product (car) I wish to buy from a number of competing car companies. Let's say for example that I wanted to spend my money to buy a Ford but now I cannot since my taxes were raised to give public money to GM. As a customer I should have had the freedom to choose what company I would patronize to purchase a new car but it was taken away or minimized.

To be free to make our own choices and for businesses to be free to engage in free enterprise we cannot have entire sectors of the economy controlled and owned by the government. (ex: Banking, Automotive, and Health Care.) Since the government is run by political parties who have certain interests and agendas the people and the businesses need to be protected. Protection from a meddling government is not only desirable but imperative to a free society. Fortunately we have a document "The Constitution" that outlines what the government CANNOT do. This is largely being ignored by the ruling regime. (It is getting worse as time goes on.) I believe we need people to advocate for freedom through their freedom of speech, peaceful demonstrations (Ex: Tea Parties), and through the Legal System (Lawsuits that challenge the unconstitutional laws being passed by the corrupt lawmakers.) Hopefully as this blog matures and I become more connected to other people and resources this movement can take shape and start to create a change toward increased freedom that we can all be proud of.