That’s something we can certainly agree on.

In Canada, as I stated elsehwere, although personal tax is high, (mine is hovering around 32%), the ability to claim back is also high – I got a sizeable amount back last tax year. Also corporate taxes are actually lower than in the US.

The Canadian police force is very much not like the US model. Neither was it in other countries I’ve been in. I have often wondered about the “police state” nature of policing in the US. When did this start?

As to no.2. Again, this depends on the regulations.

Anyaway, it looks like we will have to agree to disgree. At least here is no name calling, as in a different internet debate I recently was unfortuante enough to get involved in – so if you ever visit the Saskatoon area, drop by for a pint. It is so much easier to solve the world’s problems with a bitter in hand….

Thanks for reading.

Scylding,

I would agree that #3 could go the other way. Regulations could intentionally harm the wealthy to the aid of the proletariat, but that would be just as unjust. Whenever you add a regulation to the market, you are restricting people from making choices with their own property.

I have used number 4 against the police force and will continue to do so. In the States, the police has become very much like an occupying army. They refuse to hire people who are above a certain intelligence level or who have an uncompromising moral code (Christians who act like Christians, for example) because they might question orders.

If we abolished speed limits, government roads, and drivers licenses, and instituted biblical penal sanctions for cases of negligent homicide (capital punishment) or property damage (restitution), I believe you would see traffic fatalities drop by an order of magnitude.

Canada does not use an Austrian Economic model (which is what I’m advocating), or else it would not have all the regulative bureaucracy, oppressive tax burden, or a central bank printing paper fiat money.

I did not automatically aloow for bailouts, and I am not sure how to handle that issue, to be honest. Your no.3 also presupposes a certain type of regulation. There is no reason why it can’t go the other way. No.4 is certainly true, but that argument, together with your first one, will also go against the police force, for instance. Shall we abolish speed limits, roadworthy tests, rules of the road etc etc? Also, the police is policed themselves, at least in civilised countries. There is no reason why a market regulator, to invent a position, cannot be policed as well. It is all about checks and balances. You might have seen in one of my earlier posts that I also hold, in some fashion, to Distributivism. I’m not a de facto big business supporter.

Also: Canada is more Third Way/Roepke/Austrian Economic school of thought than Kenyesian. The US is Kenyesian.

Lastly: I’m not a Theonomist / Reconstructionist etc – as a Lutheran, I tend to view the world with the “Two Kingdom” view.

But I think these conversations are important – even if nobody convinces anybody else, at least it helps to crystallize our thought.

Thanks!

Nice piece here Michael.

Someday people will learn that oil (command and control economies) and water (free unregulated markets) don’t mix in the slightest.