To many people, especially in the US, the idea of a “free market” is so foreign, and often times misunderstood.  When I was younger the idea of selling, and trading our possessions and skills was common place.  The only “permission” we needed was from our parents. Now a days people believe it’s the government’s job to regulate every transaction/action between individuals.  In short they believe that the government is now our de facto “parent”.  The most common justification given is that it is for our “protection”, after all the government has experts to think for us right?  As a free thinking individual I reject this notion, only I can decide what is best for me.  Self ownership naturally implies freedom of choice, as long as I don’t deprive  another individual of their rights in making that choice.

The nanny Staters will of course decry this philosophy and say that we must have centralized authorities to “set standards”.  Let’s just think logically about that for a moment.  How can a small group of people (often corrupt and uninformed) decide what is best for a diverse group of individuals across a large geographic region?  In short, they can’t it’s just impossible.  Yet the myth of the state allows this idea to flourish, and children are taught to rely on “authority” figures to guide them, and ultimately to tell them what to think.

When I initially got involved in the Occupy movement, I was dismayed at how many of those folks were opposed to advocating for “the free market”.  They viewed the free market as the tool by which Corporations exploit the people.  Many wanted to petition the government to “fix” this problem. They failed to recognize that the State is at the heart of all this greed and exploitation.  If the Market were allowed to operate freely without the intervention of the State, do you honestly believe that we would devolve into chaos?  Many say that the corporations will enslave us all.  Funny, taking a look around now I would say that has already happened to a great extent.  And why….because the State has used it’s monopoly of violence to enable these multinational corporations.  Let’s also not forget who technically creates corporations.  It’s a viscous circle in which the State enables the corporations, and the corporations feed the State with tax revenue.  The market is neither good nor evil, put very simply the market is eternal, it fulfills an individual’s desires,  driving innovation and advancement. In the market good ideas and products prosper and bad ones go the way of the dinosaurs.  At this time in humanity’s history we do not have a truly “free” market, You can look at just about any industry, banking, food, pharmaceuticals, education, protection, media, etc.  In each instance it is the the State that creates a monopoly for one group or corporation, through the use of subsidies, regulations, mandates, or the treat of violence, to the detriment of the individual.

If employers could hire who they wanted at whatever wages were appropriate, and abolish pointless regulatory compliance that would naturally lead to lower costs and higher quality.  Competition in currency would eliminate the debt slavery and the crushing inflation we live under now.    Why is it now a “crime” to grow and sell wholesome foods on the open market?  I drank raw milk growing up as a kid, it never harmed me, and it tasted really good.  Why is it “illegal for me to purchase medications form overseas, and why are health supplements and natural remedies being restricted?  Why does the State subsidize “public” education?  Could it be that the State wants to perpetuate it’s myth, and maintain it’s control through compulsory attendance and indoctrination? Individuals being unrestricted in their right to self defense would lower….drastically, the instances of crime.  The FCC regulates and controls the communications industry through it’s monopoly use of licenses.  Why can’t I start my own radio station(assuming that I don’t interfere with another occupied frequency) without being deemed a “pirate radio station” and getting fined or imprisoned?  Many folks say the answer to these questions is…..Money and or greed.  While that is true, the more fundamental answer is CONTROL.  The State and the psychopaths that operate within it want to control YOU!   The only question left is will you let them?  A variety of choices is the foundation upon which Freedom is built.  Right now what we have is the “illusion of choice”.  As an individual I seek to gain knowledge, and experience, uniting with like minded individuals.  I strive to decrease the demand for the State, and increase the desire for Freedom.