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Document:LP News 1973 January-February Issue 12: Difference between revisions
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Document:LP News 1973 January-February Issue 12 (view source)
Revision as of 07:39, 19 March 2021
, 19 March 2021→POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
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==POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE== | ==POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE== | ||
''' | '''IX. BLUNDERING TOWARDS THE MILLENIUM or HAVE THINGS FINALLY STOPPED GETTING WORSE?''' | ||
It is the fashion, in libertarian circles, to continuously bemoan the current state of affairs, wailing almost incessantly that every day brings us closer to the Final Collapse or the Death of Freedom. And, _ undeniably, things have been going downhill; there is no question that we have less free dom today than we did ten, twenty, or sixty years ago. | |||
But we must not let this generally justifi able lack of sanguinity become an unshakable habit. Favorable developments do occur, occasionally. And lately there have been more than is usually the case -- so many, in fact, that we may perhaps hope that things have "bottomed out," and that while they may not get better, on balance, in the forseeable future, at least they may have stopped getting worse. | |||
To be sure, the picture is by no means entirely rosy. The Nixon Administration's accelerating crusade to manage the national media, for example, is certainly a develop ment to be viewed with alarm. And the proposed Federal Budget for the upcoming fiscal year is (as usual) a New World's Record. Nonetheless, a lot of relatively nice things have happened in the last few months, and in toto they are cause for at least some minor rejoicing. | |||
First, of course, is the fact that the ghastly Vietnam War now appears to really be headed for a conclusion, complete with a return of American prisoners, and an end (at least temporarily) of the hideous Selective Slavery System. Indeed, it appears that America may now be entering a new era of military isolationism. Nixon as much as said so in his Inaugural speech, and while RMN is certainly not the most trustworthy of men, one suspects that he correctly senses that the American people are fed to the gills with global adventurism. | |||
On the economic front, recent weeks have witnessed several advances. In a tacit admission that wage/price controls were a complete failure, our Fuhrer has effec tively thrown in the towel; we're not out of the woods yet, but at least we're heading in the right direction. And in a surprisingly rational move to force prices down the only way they can effectively be forced down -- i.e. through decontrolling the market, and thus increasing competi tion -- the Administration is lifting a number of import quotas. Restrictions against Americdn citizens owning gold may | |||
soon be lifted, also ... although there will probably be a whopping tax on transactions. | |||
In another unexpectedly rational move, the rising cost of food is being combatted the right way -- by getting rid of farm subsidies. There is serious talk of letting that great White Elephant, Amtrak, die a natural death at the end of this fiscal year. And -- will wonders never cease -- Richard Nixon actually said something positively libertarian in his Inauguaral address; hard to believe though it may be, he really did say "Ask not what your government can do for you; ask rather what you can do for yourself." I hardly could have said it better myself. Now, if only he means it. | |||
==BITS & PIECES== | ==BITS & PIECES== | ||