Comics often allow a humorous glimpse into real life. I remember growing up and reading Family Circus every Sunday, tracing Billy as he ambled from amusement to amazement throughout the entire cartoon panel. At the time, it didn’t occur to me that we behave that way as children. I just thought Billy was cool. Then there was the comic strip “There Oughta Be a Law”. Can anyone doubt its success? Although its not singlehandedly responsible for overregulation, we certainly have an abundance of laws!
What can we learn from Wimpy, the affable carnivore from the Popeye comics? For many youngsters, this was our first look at capitalism. Wimpy made an offer. The hamburger vendor (Bluto) was under no obligation to accept the offer. Why might he accept the offer? If he values the future payment more than his immediate possession of the burger. Were another customer to show up and offer to pay immediately for the burger, Wimpy might not get to eat. Neither has the right to demand anything of the other, because they each have the right to control the fruits of their own productivity. If Wimpy does not respect Bluto’s rights, he may be inclined to steal the hamburger. At that point, government should step in to protect Bluto’s rights, ensuring that each participant in this scenario has full enjoyment of their own property, but not the unearned right to the property of the other.
Capitalism is based on value, offer, acceptance, competition, and property rights. The participants, each looking out for their own interests, decide with whom and for what they will trade. Some call this selfishness, but it’s really rational self interest. Competition ensures that resources are used where they achieve the best value for their owner, and that creates wealth. Wealth creates jobs. Jobs create more wealth and society benefits as a whole.
Government’s role is to ensure respect for property rights, the ultimate basis for liberty. When each individual is assured of the right to his property, self interest unleashes the kind of creativity that transformed America
The Occupy Wall Street movement is based on self interest. The protesters hope for some ill-defined change within Corporate America that will somehow turn into comforts for themselves. Unfortunately, their desires are examples of the very greed they rail against, and their anger is misdirected.
The Occupiers are asking for unearned wealth. That’s human nature. It’s the trait that Corporate America and unions display when they funnel millions of dollars into campaign coffers of elected officials. There will be no human evolution that eliminates self interest, and no amount of punishment for Wall Street will convince corporations to forego their own survival for the sake of mankind. The anger should be directed at government.
Lawmakers acting in their own self-interest have lost respect for liberty, property rights, and the right of people to pursue their own selfish interest. With subsidies, loopholes, and regulations, lawmakers have bestowed undue power on those that can return the favor by funding their campaigns. Big business competes for favorable treatment, and it nearly always comes at the expense of the “little guy.” Lawmakers and bureaucrats have essentially institutionalized legal theft. The result is a loss of freedom, opportunity and jobs for society as a whole, and the 99% in particular.
A return to constitutional limits on government will return opportunity to the powerless, increase self interest, and create greater prosperity for all Americans. As F. D. Roosevelt said, “[it is] not that the system of free enterprise for profit has failed in this generation, but that it has not yet been tried”.
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