People who wholeheartedly support free speech and other
social or “civil” liberties often have no problem opposing free markets. Unfortunately for them, social freedom and
economic freedom are inexorably intertwined.
If government has the power to regulate economic activity –
grant licenses to businesses or tradesmen, regulate accounting practices, implement
workplace safety regulations, etc. – then they inevitably have the power to
restrict social freedoms, not least of which is free speech.
I have personally met many business owners who have strong
opinions on issues, but who would never voice them or fund organizations that
advocate their position because they fear having their license revoked, or
being denied a permit. These are not
stories of people in the former Soviet Union, these are actual everyday citizens in the U.S. (and, no doubt, Canada).
In my home state of Michigan, the Department
of Environmental Quality is particularly troublesome and has extremely broad
discretion in granting licenses and stopping businesses from engaging in peaceful activity. They can classify literally any piece of land
as a “wetland”, and prohibit development. They can arbitrarily require hundreds of thousands of dollars in changes
to septic systems, parking lots, seawalls, and more. Many of these decisions are made entirely by field agents and can be decided by nothing more than his or her mood. Others come from the top of the department down.
Tax laws are also notoriously complex and nearly impossible
to comply with. I’ve spoken to accountants
who tell me that if ten different accountants ran the typical business tax return they
would come up with ten different results. I’ve even been told if the same accountant
ran the same return ten times he would likely come up with ten different
results. When the laws are this complex,
it means that at any given time nearly every citizen is likely to
be in violation of some tax law or another. State treasury departments or the IRS, if they really wanted to, could find some way in which everybody was out of compliance.
What does this mean for free speech? It means that at any time government agents or their
bosses in the executive or legislative branches can, if they so choose, deny
licenses, impose costly requirement and find out of compliance anyone that
voices opinions they dislike. This is a
reality, not a worst case or slippery slope argument. Thousands of business owners find themselves
in trouble with regulatory bodies when they stick their neck out to oppose
government. As I said before, I have met
dozens of business owners who refuse to get involved in political issues, at
least not while they are in the middle of some ridiculously long licensing or
inspection process.
This week, as the Shotgun celebrates free speech, remember
that every new regulation on the market is another tool in the chest of
those who wish to restrict free speech.
This week, as the Shotgun celebrates free speech,remember that every new regulation on the market is another tool in the chest of those who wish to restrict free speech.
Isaac Morehouse on September 24, 2008
Bwahahahahaha. When governments do it it censorship, when libertarians do it it's property rights. Bwahahahahahaha
Posted by: The Stig | 2008-09-24 7:56:37 AM
"When governments do it it censorship, when libertarians do it it's property rights."
It doesn't matter what their ideology is, if it is their property, it's property rights. I don't see what is inconsistent about it. If the Toronto Star decides to not publish a libertarian letter to the editor, that is their right since they own thhe paper. If the government doesn't let the libertarian write the letter to the editor, that is censorship.
Posted by: Ken | 2008-09-24 9:04:38 AM
Well said, Ken. Some get so hung up on labels that they miss the bigger picture.
I agree that free speech and free markets are part of the same. In the West we now have as much government meddling and interference in the market place as what is practised in communist countries. In fact, we have even more than some communist countries. Yet people here constantly clammer for more government intervention and regulations without the least understanding of the consequences. It is much the same for free speech in that too many people are all for it when it pertains to their speech but not the speech of others. Business operates in the same way. They want complete freedom for their own business but lobby for government regulations and restrictions for the competition.
The saying that people get the kind of government they deserve rings very true.
People who wholeheartedly support free speech and other
social or “civil” liberties often have no problem opposing free markets. Unfortunately for them, social freedom and
economic freedom are inexorably intertwined.