A Midterm Report Card

For this edition of Fuel for the Free Mind let’s discuss several issues briefly and give a midterm grade to the powers-that-be. Here we go…

Let’s start in Venezuela, where you will recall that the US captured and deposed the dictator Nicolás Maduro in January. No Congressional input or resolution supporting the military action, and no imminent threat to the U.S., so it’s hard to consider the action constitutional. But what is more disappointing is the U.S. attitude since then. The Trump administration installed Maduro comrade Delcy Rodriquez as acting president, making it very clear that this was about oil for the US and not freedom for the Venezuelan people. America First (literally), forget American ideals. To make matters worse, the administration has responded to critics who wonder about plans to transition to democracy by convening talks on that subject. But the Nobel Peace Prize winning opposition leader, María Corina Machado, a true believer in democracy, is not invited. So, we hold talks about a democratic future with those who have done everything in their power to thwart democracy, and we exclude freedom fighters. My guess is that Venezuela will still be exporting cocaine and people ten years hence. Grade: F

Continuing on a military theme, America’s other undeclared war drags on. The President did not seek Congressional input before waging war on Iran, and his war aims are as obscure as ever. Congress finally did pass a war resolution in June, rebuking the President for attacking Iran without authorization. A sign of the unpopularity of the war but, I am afraid, not a sign of courage in Congress. It is clear that the President never had the support of a majority of Congress or of the American people, and that he never had a clear idea of the objectives of the war. We have accomplished nothing, depleted ammunition, and are negotiating with Iran over their price for reopening the Strait. An excellent example of why the power to wage war should not be entrusted to one person (as if we need more examples). Grade: F

At least the border is under better control. This largely occurred after Trump was elected but before he took office, so he still gets credit. That is a good thing, perhaps Trump’s best achievement to date. But the actions of ICE since then have been poorly conceived and poorly executed. The end does not justify the means. A focus on dangerous criminals would have been wise but is not legally required. Neither does it seem are name tags on law enforcement officers. What’s up with that? And lies from public officials, especially those at the sharp end of force, should not be tolerated. Finally, resistance to authority may be right or wrong, lawful or unlawful, but resistance should not be met with summary execution. Grade: D

Next up, industrial policy. There are two categories of insults to liberty here. The first is the Republican party’s embrace of industrial policy, which is fundamentally the belief that politicians and bureaucrats are better equipped to make economic decisions than anyone else. If you aren’t sure why this is a bad idea, you haven’t been paying attention. Read this or really, anything to the right of Karl Marx teaches the same lesson. Democrats, the party of government, have always embraced government control of the economy. But when Republicans embrace it, get ready for a rough ride.

The second category, a subcategory of the first, is the recent trend of the government taking an ownership stake in certain American companies. It doesn’t take much imagination to understand that when push comes to shove, your interests as a customer, employee or shareholder will take a back seat to political interests. If you don’t trust Elon Musk to make decisions in your best interest (his wealth depends on the value of his company), wait until you see what a politician will do to get reelected. Grade: F

We don’t really hear much from Congress and the President on fiscal policy, debt, and Social Security, so no news is good news, right? Sorry, but you (or your kids or grandkids, depending on your age) are screwed. Our inability to live within our means as a nation will end just as it does for individuals, which is badly. The proximate cause is career politicians, who will sell out the next generation in order to feed at the public trough a while longer. But ultimately, we are the nation’s bosses and if we don’t demand better, we won’t get it. I’m not sure what it will take to get the American public to focus on this. Experience being the best teacher, we may need to experience a declining standard of living and loss of control over our place in the world to get our financial house in order. But times of crisis are at least as likely to feed extremism as they are to feed sound ideas. When our financial house comes crashing down, it will be scary. Grade: F

Well, that was cheery, wasn’t it? I am optimistic about human beings, but freedom seems to have taken a back seat in our politics. Even this optimistic libertarian is discouraged. But then, this edition was all about government and its failures. Maybe the next edition should be about the private sector, about which there is a lot of good stuff to cover.