The question could be compared to, “Do the referees make athletes win in their races?” True, referees do serve a vital purposes, namely, to discourage misconduct, the violation of the rules, etc. Governments at their best--but sadly very rarely--act similarly. They are fighting crimes in society and that opens the road for peaceful citizens to go about their tasks with greater likelihood of success, including in their business or professional ventures.
But Mr. Obama has insisted, fallaciously, that this is the reason why those like Mitt Romney succeed in business. That is just wrong. It may be a necessary condition of success in the marketplace that crimes are kept to the minimum but it is by no means sufficient. Indeed, both bone fide winning and losing require law enforcement, precisely as in athletic competitions.
Mr. Obama’s claim that government is responsible for winning in the marketplace implies, incidentally, that legitimate government is responsible for some competitors losing in the marketplace. Blame the referees for both the wins and the losses! Which is clearly absurd. The president’s eagerness to discredit productivity, entrepreneurship, savvy and plain hard work and credit governments--i.e., politicians, bureaucrats and such--for the economic successes of market agents is desperate.
Statism shows its impoverishment by Mr. Obama’s use of a neologism.
We are delighted to present Lessons in Freedom, essays by Dr. Tibor Machan, for your pleasure.
Dr. Machan holds the R. C. Hoiles Chair in Business Ethics & Free Enterprise at Chapman University's Argyros School of B&E.
