You’d think we would have learned something from Germany’s post-war ‘revival’.

As I have no doubt you are acutely aware, it was free-market policies that initiated the whole business.

Ludwig Erhard introduced a price ‘decontrol ordinance’ which eliminated price controls.

Thereafter, through the summer of 1948, “directive followed directive removing price, allocation, and rationing regulations.”

Instead of interfering with the economy, Erhard’s rationale seemed to be – “Don’t just sit there; undo something.”

Perhaps today the rationale should be “don’t touch anything!” But that would be ever so ‘callous’, would it not? Politicians just have to indulge themselves in a good ol’ dose of ‘conscience relief’. The fact that it only makes matters worse does not concern them – at least they have a ‘clear conscience’.

These days, politicians look more to the Rawls’ concept of ‘social and economic justice’. May I remind readers of Rawls’ Theory of Justice, just to see if anybody out there can tell me what exactly it means. Here are his Principles (which please ‘compare and contrast’ to the Ten Principles of Freedom):

“First Principle: Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all.

“Second Principle: Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both, a) to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged, consistent with the just saving principle, and b) attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity.”

Then we have the Priority Rules. Here they are:

“The First Priority Rule (The Priority of Liberty). The principles of justice are to be ranked in lexical order and therefore liberty can be restricted only for the sake of liberty. There are two cases: a) a less extensive liberty must strengthen the total system of liberty shared by all; b) a less than equal liberty must be acceptable to those with the lesser liberty.

“The Second Priority Rule (The Priority of Justice over efficiency and Welfare). The second system of justice is lexically prior to the principle of efficiency and to that of maximizing the sum of advantages; and fair opportunity is prior to the difference principle. There are two cases: a) an inequality of opportunity must enhance the opportunity of those with the lesser opportunity; b) an excessive rate of saving must on balance mitigate the burden of those bearing this hardship.”

Isn’t that wonderful? Rawls, of course, arrived at this Theory of Justice – social and economic – by hiding a load of people behind a theoretical “veil of ignorance”.

I don’t know why he bothered with a ‘theoretical’ ignorance when all he had to do is visit Washington to get the real thing!

Mr Brewton, if only there were a few like you in Washington!

Joseph BH McMillan http://www.freedomvrights.com