Editor’s Break 028 is a look at the personal disasters that have been plaguing Skyler as a homeowner lately, and why they are nothing to fret over.
Tag: markets
Houston, TX
As usual, when some kind of catastrophe strikes — Hurricane Harvey in this instance — anti-market types will pipe up with “I’ll tell you so” shots such as “Who will save the people of Houston now? The market?” My response is “Exactly!”
Putting Principle above Party, People, and the Past
When I put principle first, I’m better able to judge the compatibility of parties, people, and the past with what I believe in. And when my understanding of those things change, it’s easier to move on. I’m also less likely to be fooled and subsequently betrayed.
Political Action Exacerbates the Problem of Hate
Politics is your neighbor and his like-minded friends rallying together to lobby for government to shift their policies in their favor. If your neighbor and his friends hate intrusive government, those policy shifts may be a good thing for those who value peace and prosperity. But if your neighbor and his friends hate people wealthier than them, or people with a different skin color, those policy shifts are sure to bring about an exacerbated level of conflict, and thus a reduction in prosperity.
Markets II
I live in a Kentucky community through which passes US Highway 127. Decades ago, folks who live along this way, from Grayling MI to Chattanooga TN, decided to have one big yard sale, from stem to stern along this road. It is a spectacle!
Tribalism and Economic Nationalism – Cut from the Same Cloth
Why would anyone underestimate the benefits of interacting with foreigners? It might be because they are, well, foreign. Combine this bias with an ignorance of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” (spontaneous order) and a suspicion that exchange is zero-sum rather than positive-sum, and you have the making of an economic nationalist.
Markets
A trip to a local food market will tell you more about a geographic spot than I could possibly relate in a blog entry. I love supermarkets, new and used book stalls, flea markets, art galleries, sidewalk vendors, newsstands, tradesperson workplaces, restaurants, fairs, craft shows, auctions, theaters (movie, stage, concert, and opera).
Individualist, Voluntaryist, and a Human Being
I believe that if your actions neither pick my pocket nor break my leg, they’re none of my business. I believe in peaceful coexistence, voluntary transactions, and free markets.
What’s In Your Bag?
When I buy baked goods or produce at Wegmans, the cashiers don’t even bother to look in the brown paper sack. They simply ask me, “What’s in your bag?” – and ring up whatever I declare. How can profit-maximizing businesses treat me so well?
The Free Market is Always Regulated
The free market is by definition regulated by the interactions of consumers and producers – producers regulate each other’s plans through the process of entrepreneurial competition, while consumers regulate the plans of producers through the exercise of their sovereign buying decisions.