Liberty Rising: A Market Story

I originally published this article at RevoluTimes on November 25, 2011

Being the political junkie that I am, I often find myself debating one issue or another with friends, family and colleagues. This seems to be the trademark of the libertarian. When I’m not being completely denounced as “crazy” or “too radical” and am able to get a word in edgewise, I attempt to make the case for a truly free and voluntary society. The first and probably the most common objection to libertarianism I find is a lack of understanding or support for true capitalism. A frequent question I encounter from detractors is, “How do I hold any power under a free market?” To this I simply reply, “You are the free market.”

Capitalism and sound economics in general are often presumed to be exceedingly complex and confounding to the average person. There’s no doubt it requires vast knowledge and specialized skills to master, but ultimately economics is simply the study of human interaction and cooperation. What is often overlooked is that individuals act because of ideas and the degree to which those ideas shape society; the market is ruled by little else. Indeed, the groundswell of traditional conservatives, classical liberals and libertarians that is sweeping the nation today is nothing short of a market force. Just as all debit cards are rectangles because the market dictates this, (not because of some government regulation) and just as sold-out grocery stores during a blizzard are always re-stocked to fulfill consumer needs, societies respond and shape themselves in order to cater to new and innovative ideas.

Much like the founding of the Libertarian Party in 1971, the current surge in protests, political activism and independent media are acting as a market force to offer an alternative to the status quo. In the winter of 1971, as both major political parties were becoming increasingly authoritarian and the Old Right was vanishing, individualists and anti-statists of all stripes created what has become the nation’s third largest political party. This was all due to individuals taking it upon themselves to act on their ideas and fill a void in society that was needed.

The Libertarian Party continues to grow today, and in 2010 boasted 154 Libertarians holding public office. While their ranks have grown over the years, it has proven to be a long and mostly uphill road that has yielded poor results. Thanks to the advent of the internet, the philosophy of liberty has spread throughout the world and the plea for smaller government and more freedom was finally heard.

No one has taken advantage of the World Wide Web for the cause of liberty better than the Ludwig von Mises Institute. Their website Mises.org is a bastion of liberty and an intellectual powerhouse for the cause of free markets and individual freedom. Providing literally hundreds of books and thousands of articles and podcasts all for free, the site not only talks the talk but walks the walk.

The Mises Institute is yet another example of individuals taking action to provide a good or service, (in this case the scholarship of libertarian ideas) that was necessitated by the market. Founded by author Lew Rockwell with the blessing of Margit von Mises, (widow of classical liberal giant Ludwig von Mises) in 1982 and headed by libertarian hero and Austrian economist Murray Rothbard, (until his death in 1995) the institute’s purpose was to rekindle the old flame of laissez faire economics and to continue the teachings of the Austrian school. Having informed millions around the world with the scholarship of freedom and educated over 10,000 students in its summer Mises University program, the LvMI has proven to be indispensable in the struggle against the State.

In the last few years, organizations such as the Mises Institute and others have become very instrumental in education in the wake of government bailouts, unprecedented spending and endless wars. In 2008, a grassroots movement of the Tea Party shook the political establishment as it began to transcend the one dimensional narrative given by the Beltway talking heads. Inspired mostly by the presidential campaign of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, the Tea Party movement drastically impacted the 2010 elections and continues to be a strong force throughout the nation.

While I vehemently disagree with much of the conclusions presented by demonstrations such as Occupy Wall Street, it is indeed an important conversation to have. These protests, (that by now have likely been largely co-opted by the Democratic Party and professional activists) ironically began as just another example of the very market forces at work which so many leftists denounce. Similar to their right wing counterparts in the Tea Party, OWS was largely started by disenchanted left-liberals who no longer feel their representatives can be trusted and who recognize that the system is broken. Sadly, most are very misguided on how this occurred and what to do about it; but fortunately the market of ideas allows for competing philosophies– and we have history, economics and virtue on our side.

With the 2012 presidential elections heating up in a few short weeks, we may very well be nearing the pinnacle of this very long struggle for individual sovereignty as Congressman Ron Paul is rising in the polls despite concerted efforts to ignore him altogether. Despite the best efforts of the State and its cohorts to silence our ideas, the market has provided outlets for us such as Freedom Watch with Judge Andrew Napolitano, Adam vs. the Man with Adam Kokesh, Stossel, and of course this very website you are reading now, The RevoluTimes. As with all other products of the market that are developed by individuals, if we desire an abundant supply of freedom, we must never cease demanding it.