Blogs Liberty and Power Morality, the Left, and Free Trade
Jul 29, 2004Morality, the Left, and Free Trade
He writes that:"Now that rich countries no longer need to worry about losing the developing world to Communism, they have an opportunity to redefine the global economic order according to the same principles on which they built successful national economies: fair competition and social justice."
The way to achieve social justice (a term that makes most libertarians and conservatives cringe) is through free trade. It's a wonderful synethsis of the moral language of the left with the economic common sense of liberatarians.
If American liberals really believe in helping out the less fortunate through government programs, is it possible to swing some of them to our side on this issue?
I think it's certainly possible if our side adopts a more forceful moral component to our arguments. A constant source of amazement to me is why libertarians always seem hesitant to use morality when they argue for less government. Since when did the government become the source of morality? In particular recent discussions about gay marriage fit this pattern. It is, in my view, immoral for the government to regulate marriage between anybody, same sex or not. That's the business of individuals, communities and churches, not politicians.
It's high time we fight to recapture the mantle of morality from the left and right. It's neither moral nor just to give entitlements to the rich or regulate human relationships, and we shouldn't be afraid to say so.
comments powered by Disqus
News
- Health Researchers Show Segregation 100 Years Ago Harmed Black Health, and Effects Continue Today
- Understanding the Leading Thinkers of the New American Right
- Want to Understand the Internet? Consider the "Great Stink" of 1858 London
- As More Schools Ban "Maus," Art Spiegelman Fears Worse to Come
- PEN Condemns Censorship in Removal of Coates's Memoir from AP Course
- Should Medicine Discontinue Using Terminology Associated with Nazi Doctors?
- Michael Honey: Eig's MLK Bio Needed to Engage King's Belief in Labor Solidarity
- Blair L.M. Kelley Tells Black Working Class History Through Family
- Review: J.T. Roane Tells Black Philadelphia's History from the Margins
- Cash Reparations to Japanese Internees Helped Rebuild Autonomy and Dignity






