Anarchy is not capitalism ...

... for the millionth time!

There's an atrocious column in today's Houston Chronicle that posed an interesting challenge: What should I do about it? It is very unsophisticated in many ways, and very ho-hum typical in others. I have to admit that I usually skip this author's columns because I find them tedious.

Perhaps that's a mistake: This column seems like exactly the kind of bilge we'll be hearing a lot more of over the next few years as leftists try to appeal to religious conservatives. You may find it worth reading as an example of this. It is also, incidentally, yet another glaring example of how the anti-philosophical approach of the Libertarian Party builds straw-men for opponents of capitalism.

In any event, I decided to write a letter to the editor about the column on the single point I thought most in need of answering. (And if you're really bored, read the whole column and tell me whether you agree with me.)

Here's the letter, written to comply with the paper's requirements listed here. As always, constructive criticism is welcome.

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To the editor:

In his September 4 column ("Is Katrina whispering in our ears?"), Rick Casey claims that, "God is lecturing us on economics." If so, God needs a refresher course.

The chaos in New Orleans is not, as Casey calls it, "the most free market in America." It isn't even a market at all: There is no buying or selling going on.

Without the government to enforce individual rights (including the right to property), there cannot be a free market.

While Casey appears to agree with me about the role of government, he does not. Instead, he equates the very existence of government with improper government intervention in the economy when he calls the anarchy of New Orleans a "market totally without regulation." From there, he ignores the role of government regulations in causing the Enron scandal while equating a legitimate prosecution of fraud with "regulation".

Stopping armed gangs from looting stores and punishing corporate fraud are examples of proper government action. Regulations, like those that helped precipitate the 2003 energy crisis in California by preventing the construction of new power plants, are not. In fact, when a government attempts to "regulate" an economy, it can only do so by violating the rights of its citizens -- exactly the same thing the thugs in New Orleans are doing now.

Come to think of it, sign God and Mr. Casey up for Politics, too.

Gus Van Horn
Houston, TX

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Note: Like many other leftists, Casey is simply wrong when he claims that the evacuation effort was based on private transportation. Much more detail on this matter can be found here.

-- CAV

Updates

9-5-05: (1) Corrected typo. HT: Adrian Hester. (2) Added note on a factual error by Casey.