> The problem in the US isn't capitalism, it's that the government interferes extensively in the economy.
Well... maybe the problem is that the economy interferes extensively in the government.
> Building a society is the responsibility of each individual who values it. Using government force in pursuit of that goal leads only to the co-option and disenfranchisement Simon complains about.
Individuals have to band together to accomplish things because at some point one individual isn't enough. In democratic society such a banding, supported by the people and for the people, is called a government.
If the government does not have power, someone else will. The governments power is meant to balance out the power of individuals, so that a few do not control society.
I would argue that with that amount of power, government necessarily has the ability to cause harm to the economy/society. Otherwise it fails as a government.
Stripping the government of power will do nothing. We must fix it.
> In democratic society such a banding, supported by the people and for the people, is called a government.
Only when the people banding together claim a monopoly on the use of force to achieve their goals. This is exactly the distinction that Bastiat describes.
I'll assume you live in the US: doesn't your constitution grant you the rights to bear arms and didn't one of the founder said it's the people's duty to throw away the government when it gets corrupted ?
On a more "scholar" note there is the notion that a leviathan is needed.
Moreover, I think private companies and individuals can be as violent, or more, than any government that claim monopoly on its use.
> Individuals have to band together to accomplish things because at some point one individual isn't enough. In democratic society such a banding, supported by the people and for the people, is called a government.
Individuals who band together to accomplish things can also be called a corporation.
Well... maybe the problem is that the economy interferes extensively in the government.
> Building a society is the responsibility of each individual who values it. Using government force in pursuit of that goal leads only to the co-option and disenfranchisement Simon complains about.
Individuals have to band together to accomplish things because at some point one individual isn't enough. In democratic society such a banding, supported by the people and for the people, is called a government.